Castle Walls
by swan-to-neverland
Summary: When Neal, Emma, and Henry take a trip to Scotland to work on their relationships, Emma and Neal discover they have a little more to work out than they originally thought.
1. To Scotland

The Cassidy/Swan/Mills trio were due for a family trip. Since they had returned from Neverland, Emma didn't see the harm in trying to forgive Neal. It was going to take time... Lots of it, but at the end of the day she _did_ care about him. Henry had handled the series of unfortunate events quite well, especially considering he was an eleven year old kid.

"I still can't believe you chose a castle, Henry." Emma called from her room.

Actually, she could believe it. He was a Charming, after all.

"Mom, you said we could go anywhere I wanted." Henry argued from the living room.

"Yeah kid, I did. But a c_astle?_ How was I supposed to know you'd pick a c_astle_ in _Scotland?_" she said, a slight laughing escpaing her as she thought about how ridiculous this sounded.

Neal had sold his Manhattan apartment, and Emma had sold her Boston apartment. For now, Neal was staying with them. Five people in one apartment wasn't really cutting it at the moment, but she didn't want to make any rash living decisions.

Living with her parents was nice, considering the fact that she was still getting to know them. Henry having Neal around never hurt either and it gave her some free time to break out the ol' curling iron again.

"Hey Emma," Neal said, sending a nod her way as he toppled through the front door.

Plastic bags occupied his hands and after he attempted to close the door, he kicked it closed with his foot.

"Neal," she said, stuck watching him.

"What, my hair messed up?" he asked, setting the groceries down on the counter and giving his hair a ruffle.

"No, it's not that," she said, holding in her laugh at his now messy hair.

She looked down, trying to hide her smile. His hair looked it's best when it was messy.

xxx

Henry was taking the full castle tour, and now it was just her and Neal in their castle themed room and she couldn't pinpoint why her lungs were starting to feel tight.

Before she could catch her breath, she heard Neal say the impossible.

"It's near a beach."

Her heart falls to the floor and her eyes start to sting. How she's going to get through this trip, she's not quite sure. They had a lot to sort out, so they might as well start well.

Taking a quick look out the window, she winces at the sight.

"Neal, I-" she starts out before being cut off.

"I went looking for you..." Neal states, his hands shaking.

"I went to Tallahassee. I thought maybe you'd be there."

He sits down on the edge of the bed and just stares at her.

"I was there for two years, Neal. I never once saw you. If you're lying to me so help me God-" she blurted out, getting so close to him that he gets a wiff of her perfume.

"I'm not lying!" he shouts, standing and simultaneously throwing his hands in the air.

"_YOU_ were with someone else!" he yells, his voice shaking, a finger pointed right at her.

"I..." Emma starts, drifting off, "I was.."

"You looked like you didn't want to be found." It sounded like a confession, an excuse, a reason he never reached out to her.

She was still looking out the window. Sobs escaped her, but she learned how to silence them long ago.

Her shoulders shook, and guilt washed over Neal.

"Em, I-"

"Save it," she managed to choke out.

He rested his hands behind his head and stood there, not able to break his gaze. He had hurt her again without even trying.

She walked past, purposely knocking into him. He watched her fumble with the bathroom doorknob, considering she'd get even angrier if he tried to help her, and when she entered he heard the door lock behind her.

xxx

Henry had came by the hotel room for a moment only to grab his swim trunks. The pool had impressed him and he was testing it out.

Emma had been in the bathroom for hours and Neal hadn't heard a single noise out of her.

He was a worrier he had to admit, and he couldn't stop himself from knocking on the door.

"Go away."

Emma's voice was muffled behind the door.

"Em, come on. We need to talk this out eventually."

He heard the lock pop and he slowly pushed the door open.

Emma was there, slung over the toilet bowl, blond curls falling down her shoulders.

"Oh God, Em." Neal said, standing in the door way, not sure what to do.

"I told you to go away," she warned, her voice worn.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, grabbing her hair in his hands.

She had cried until she made herself sick.

"I'm good," she confirmed attempting to stand on her own two feet.

"Let's get you to the bed."

He scooped her up into his arms, and she let her head rest on his shoulder. He laid her down carefully on the bed and planted a kiss on her forehead.

She was exhausted to the point where it didn't even make her flinch. Maybe she needed that from him.

Before he could say another word, Emma was sound asleep. He winced when he noticed the expression on her face; It was red and stained with tears.

He looked down to see his tear stained shirt.

She had left some of her pain with him. 


	2. Confessions and Confusions

Emma woke up to the sound of a clock ticking. She blinked a few times and the thought settled in that it was probably the middle of the night.

She pulled back the covers and stood up to peer out the window for confirmation. The world was silent and dark, and the only noise around was _tick, tock, tick, tock._

Taking a look at the other bed, she witnessed Henry and Neal snuggled up together. She felt her heart melting to pieces until she remembered how angry she had been with Neal just hours earlier.

She opened the door to the balcony and took a seat in one of the mideval themed chairs. She felt as if the beach was staring at her, and not the other way around. It taunted her with the words of empty promises made.

"Hey," she heard as the door creaked open.

Her muscles tenses up at the sound of Neal's voice and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Hi," was all she could say.

After he took a seat he continued.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, turning towards her.

"I'm fine," she shrugged.

Silence. There was so much to be said, but not enough words to say it all at once.

He hurt for her because of the sleepless nights in a jail cell at eighteen years old. The way she had to give up their son because she had no choice. How he had made her happy at one point in life, made her believe in happiness, just to break her and destroy her without meaning to.

She hurt for him too. For the sadness that lingered in his eyes caused by things he never explained to her. How he beat himself up for so long for leaving her, thinking he made the right decision. Even the thought of Tamara lying to him from the start, which made Emma's blood boil.

"When did you get to Tallahasee?"

He heard the suspcion in her voice.

"I don't know. I was there the moment I thought you were out of prison."

Her heart hit the floor. She blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to stop stinging.

"Why didn't you talk to me?"

"Emma, I didn't-"

"Why didn't you talk to me?!" Emma yelled, throwing caution to the wind.

"The kid's sleeping, keep it down a bit," Neal whispered angrily.

"You have _NO_ reason to be the angry one here!" she yelled, fully closing the door that linked them to Henry.

"Yes I do- Stop telling me how to feel when you-"

"I what?!"

"You were with another man!" Neal yelled.

Her heart felt like it had just ran a marathon. She thought for a second that it might actually beat right out of her chest.

"I saw you drive him around in our ca- that yellow bug of yours. The way you looked at those clubs in the middle of the night with the spotlight on you. You and all those friends of yours that h_e _introduced you to."

She curled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, almost like a sheild.

"The early mornings when you left his house and you looked like a hung over, beautiful mess. I saw it when you moved into his house, the smile you gave him when he offered to carry your boxes in for you."

His voice was shaking, and she thought he might even cry.

"I- I wasn't going to take you away from someone that made you happy. I told that to myself over and over again before I left Tallahassee. But the moment I left, I realized that I was scared. I was scared to love you."

Her facial expression went blank as the tears rolled out. She didn't sniffle, didn't sob, hardly even blinked.

"I searched for you for God knows how long and when I found you- When I saw you with _him,_ I knew there was no forgiveness from you in my future."

"He was married."

She choked on the last word, her cry turning into sobs.

His hand flew up and covered his mouth before he could elicit a gasp. He imagined his eyes looked as big as the moon above them. He let a tear slip out but brushed it away quickly.

"Emma please don't cry, you're gonna make yourself sick again," Neal pleaded with her.

"How do you know that's what even happened? Why do you even care, at all? You have a good reason to be angry," she argued between gasps of air.

He made his way over to her chair and crouched down next to it.

His right hand made circles on her back and his left held onto the chair for balance. He was taking a risk touching her but she didn't pull away. That was a good sign.

"He moved me in to be the nanny for his children. He gave me food, gave me money to spend. I had _never _lived that nice. But once I was around the kids, I starting feeling guilty. I was spending time with these kids I barely knew when my own son was out there without his parents."

She stopped to catch her breath.

"I left him, but I will _never_ forget how worthless he made me feel. I waited for you for _two years_ and then I got the hell out of Tallahassee. I did it to save my sanity."

She always hyperventalated when she cried, and he knew that. When it didn't slow down, he felt his anxiety level go from 50 to 5,000.

"Let's stand," he suggested, pulling her up. He lead her to the edge of the balcony. She leaned on it and focused her eyes Neal.

"Breathe," he reminded her.

He flashed her one of those sad smiles that he was famous for.

"Why are you doing this for me?" she said, gasping between each word.

"Emma, I know how you operate.. And it doens't matter what's going on between us. I'd stop what I'm doing to help you when you're _this _upset."

Her breathing was becoming regular again and the relief that flowed through him was unexplainable.

"Come on," he said, gesturing towards one of the chairs.

He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. She curled up in a ball and snuggled into him. Her breathing was still uneven and her chest was jumpy, but it was hardly as bad as it was before.

"Thank you," she said, and he could tell she wasn't just thanking him for calming her down. It was for finding her after all, for watching over her. It was for letting her have what he thought was her happy ending. For loving their son, moving to Storybrooke, coming to Scotland with them. It was for every "thank you" that she was too angry to say.

"Tomorrow there will be none of this," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"What's happening tomorrow?" she yawned.

"I say I make an amazing breakfast, we take Henry to the beach to swim, we let him fake house hunt for his own amusement, and then we have a bonfire on the sand."

"That sounds... Great," she said, and the sleepy sound of her voice made him smile.

When he noticed she was asleep, he carefully slid off his jacket and laid it over her.

Hopefully that was the worst the vacation would get.


	3. Sunny Days and Starry Nights

Emma stretched, feeling that she wasn't on a bed. She peeked her eyes open to see she was cuddled up in the chair on the balcolny. Neal's sweater was covering her, and the smell of him was stuck on her skin.

She grabbed the sweater and headed into the room to see Neal and Henry at the table, greeting her with identical smiles.

"Hey boys," Emma called, setting Neal's sweater on the back of his chair.

Before Emma sat down, Henry had zipped to the counter and back.

"We got donuts," Henry smiled proudly, holding up the bag for Emma to see, "We got jelly."

It's almost like they rehearsed it before she even entered the room.

"Great kid, but we're going to have to save those for after breakfast. What'd you guys manage to stir up?" She asked, taking in a deep breath.

"Mom, we made pancakes, because we know you love them with chocolate chips-"

"And hot chocolate with cinnamon," Neal added, sending her a look that confirmed he had no idea where Henry got the donut line from. 

"Come here kid, give me a hug," Emma offered, "Thanks for the wonderful breakfast. You and Dad sure make a great team."

Neal sent her a look of shock, astonishment even. It's like he had just realized that he was more than Neal to Henry. He was _Dad_, and Emma approved of it.

They all sat down for a breakfast filled with stories from Henry's adventures around the castle.

"And the pool was _HUGE_!" Henry exclaimed, using his arms to emphasize it, "And the other kids were playing catch and they let me join in."

"Man, that's great," Neal smiled, ruffling Henry's hair.

"There's one other place I'd love to see though," Henry suggsted, "the beach."

"Finish your breakfast and we'll go," Emma offered, smiling at the two of them.

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed, starting to eat just a little bit quicker.

Emma sent a wink Neal's way, and he knew it was a thank you for last night.

xxx

"Let's build a sand castle, guys!" Henry yelled. 

The beach was just outside of their hotel, and Emma was relieved that the location saved her the hastle of packing.

"Just a minute, buddy!" Neal called, holding up a finger to Henry.

"Hey Neal-"

"You don't have to think me again," Neal said, resting his hand on her knee.

"I do," she started, "But where did Henry get that donut line from?"

She tilted her head in complete confusion.

"Dude, I seriously have no clue," Neal laughed.

"You told him to say it, didn't you?"

"No, I'm just as shocked as you are. But he _is_ your son, you know," Neal laughed, playfully shoving Emma.

"Our son," she blurted out without thinking.

_Our _son. He could get used to the sound of that.

He smiled in awe, looking over to see Henry halfway through his sand castle. He stood up, brushing the sand off of his pants.

She reached for his hand and he pulled her up.

"Well, whatcha say we go play with _our _son?" Neal asked, giving her that sly smile of his.

She nodded in approval, and they both ran over to Henry.

"Emma, I need you to go get water for the moat. Neal, you have to stay here and help me make the left wing," Henry instructed.

The kid actually knew what he was talking about.

Emma didn't argue and took Henry's bucket to fill it with water.

"Psssttt, kid," Neal whispered, nudging Henry.

"What?"

"I'm gonna get your mom good," Neal chuckled.

"How?" He asked, almost sounding like he didn't believe Neal.

"Watch," He suggested, picking up the nearest bucket.

Henry watched, hoping Neal could get away with whatever he was going to do. Henry believed that there was no defeating Emma Swan. Even if it was just a simple prank, Emma was one step ahead 99.9 percent of the time.

Neal tip toed to the water, carefully filling the bucket. He inched his way over to Emma without making a single noise.

Emma froze, feeling that something wasn't right.

Henry.

She whipped around, seeing that Henry was staring at her. Why was he-

She whipped back around to look at the water but there was nothing.

"Hey kid, why the hel-"

She was stopped in her tracks when she felt ice cold water drench her.

Neal's hearty laugh rang through her ears, and she opened her eyes to see Henry and Neal high fiving each other on the shore.

"Got her!" Neal yelled before picking up Henry and swinging him around.

Nobody was able to pull a fast one on Emma Swan. Except for Neal Cassidy, Henry decided.

"Neal.. Are you serious?" Emma asked, wringing out her hair.

"Damn straight, I am!" Neal laughed.

"You want to fight dirty? Bring it on!" Emma yelled from the water.

"Me and you against Mom?" Neal asked.

Henry nodded, and they sprinted off towards the waves.

Buckets in hand, they began to scoop up water and throw it at Emma.

"Come on, Swan Girl, you're supposed to be great in water," Neal teased with a childish grin.

Emma was losing horribly at this water fight, and there was only one thing she could think to do.

"Human sheild!" She yelled, holding Henry out in front of her.

"Dang it.." Henry whined, "Sorry, Dad, I'm a hostage."

He laughed, realizing the kid had a bigger vocabulary than he did.

Neal grabbed Henry, throwing him into the waves.

"You can't just do that! What if he-"

"Mom, I'm good. That was fun, can I do it again?!" Henry exclaimed as he emerged from the water.

"Oh you wanna do it again?" Emma asked, "Grab him, Neal."

Emma had a hold of his wrists, and Neal his ankles.

"One.. Two... Three..." they counted, throwing him in on three.

Henry thought it was hysterical, and Emma and Neal couldn't help but get a kick out of it, too.

xxx

Henry was occupying a beach towel on the sand, practically falling asleep. He had played rough, he was about due for a nap.

Emma and Neal were still going at it in the waves, splashing each other, shoving each other down, and he wasn't afraid to throw her in every once in awhile.

Henry watched carefully, every move they made. One minute they were fighting, the next they were best friends. He knew that his gramps and grams were true love, but the book didn't tell him everything. He wished the book would confirm his parent's relationship, but he almost didn't need it when he saw the way they looked at each other.

While Henry was lost in his thoughts, his parents had made their way over to him.

"I call a rematch," Emma declared, drying her hair with a towel.

"You know I won fair and square," Neal argued, glancing over at her.

"You call a sneak attack fair and square, Dad?" Henry intruded.

"Kid's got a point."

Emma smiled that smile that shut Neal down completely. The one that made him not want to argue anymore.

Henry admired the playful banter between his parents.

"Come on, kid, let's head back to the room," Emma motion towards the hotel.

Henry's parents walked in front of him, and they walked so close that they were almost touching.

His initial reason for coming here had nothing to do with them, but now his mind was switching gears.

xxx

They entered the third castle on their list, and it was astonishing, something Emma couldn't deny.

Henry was marveling at it, and he studied the detailed structure.

Neal had seen enough of these in his lifetime and decided that this was purely for the kid's amusement.

"Wouldn't it be awesome to live in something like this?" Henry asked, staring up into the vast ceiling.

"Is that- Would you want that?" Emma asked, surprised at his question.

"If we could go back, that is," Neal added.

"Yeah, of course!"

Neal shot a glance at Emma and shrugged. He already predicted this conversation.

"What about you, Mom? Would you like to see the Enchanted Forrest?" Henry asked, eyeing the antique looking furniture.

Emma was hoping Neal would take one for the team on this one.

The team. Did she just think of them as a _team?_

"Hey Henry, did you see the kitchen yet?" Neal asked, wrapping his arm around Henry and heading towards the back of the house.

Neal turned back with a wink, and Emma stopped holding her breath. He knew just when to swoop in and save the day.

She took her own tour around the house, looking but not really seeing.

Henry wanted this, and she knew that. She wanted to give him everything, just not the Enchanted Forest. Everything they knew was in Storybrooke. How was she supposed to pick up and leave the world she grew up in? Sure, it was cruel. But the Enchanted Forest couldn't be much better.

Emma felt a hand slide onto her shoulder.

"I sent him to the kid's bedroom on the third floor. He 'ought to be distracted for awhile," Neal laughed.

He waited, but Emma didn't say anything for nearly five minutes.

"He wants to go back, Neal."

"I know, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. And just because the kid wants it, it doesn't set anything in stone. We're the parents, we make the real decisions."

Oh yeah, she forgot about that part.

"Anyways, if we're even planning to move, there's plenty of places outside of Storybrooke."

"If we're even planning to? That apartment was designed for one person, maybe two. Five is cutting it close."

"Well... Here's a suggestion," Neal started, "How about we move here?"

"Here to Scotland?! Are you insane?!" Emma yelled.

"It was just an idea. It's easier than traveling to a completely different realm."

She gave him her "_you've got to be kidding me" _face.

"We can move the whole family out here. It would be the only way I can think for us to meet in the middle with them. And if we move here, in this house, there will be enough room for everyone to have their own room."

Her facial expression didn't change but she added an eye roll.

"Just promise me you'll think about it."

"Promise," she finally said.

Since when did she start promising Neal Cassidy anything? Things were changing right before her eyes, and sooner than she expected.

xxx

"Pass me the graham crackers," Henry said, reaching out across the fire.

"One more smore, and if you don't hurry they're going to start the movie with you," Neal said.

Henry stole Emma's _"you've got to be kidding me" _face and used it on Neal.

"Someone's being the big bad parent," Emma teased, nudging him playfully.

"Fine.. Two," Neal budged.

Henry had gotten away with something only having to use the stare down once. He was getting pretty good.

"How are we doing in the parenting department?" Emma asked, taking a bite of the smore she posessed.

Henry's face wandered in thought, and he smiled before speaking.

"Emma, you're doing pretty good. You're getting better at talking to me about things. I like that," he said as he snuggled himself underneath her arm.

"What about me, buddy?"

"Neal, you're a lot of fun, but you're really bad at standing your ground," he laughed, pointed down to his smore.

"Fair enough," Neal laughed.

Emma kept sneaking glances at Neal through the fire. It was lighting up his face, showcasing every feature it held.

"Alright, head up to the room," Neal instructed Henry.

"Just go straight up, and when you get to the room, wave down at us from the window. Just as a signal that you're okay."

Henry gave a big hug to his mom and dad, and then headed inside.

"He's great, isn't he?" Emma asked, not taking her eyes off of Henry until he disappeared.

"Yeah, and yet you told us nothing good came from us being together," Neal pointed out, taking a sip of his beer.

They saw Henry do a quick wave from the window with his pajamas on and stuffed dragon in hand. They both laughed at the exact same as Henry checked his watch and sprinted away from the door.

Neal patted the empty space on the blanket right next to him.

Emma scooted over close to him and snuggled into him for warmth.

"Have a sip," Neal suggested, handing her his bottle.

She took a sip, and it took her back in time. Her mind went to her seventeen year old self sharing drinks with a Neal Cassidy that she knew nothing about, except that he definitely thought she was older than she was.

"Emma, if there's anything you want out of me, tonight would be the night to ask."

"What do you mean-"

"If there's anything you need me to do, anything you want to ask, now would be the time. You want anything at all, I'll get it for you. I'll take the moon right out of the sky if you ask me to," he said in a promising voice.

"Neal you don't-"

"Come on, let's head back to the room and warm up," He suggsted, standing up and collecting the things they'd brought.

"I can help you carry those," she suggested, reach out with hands ready to be filled.

When he gave her everything to carry she was confused.

"Hop on my back." He said, leaning down.

"What are we, kids again?" She asked, jokingly

"You wanted to carry everything, and now I'll carry you," He smiled back at her.

"You sure are something else, Mr. Cassidy," She said, jumping on his back.

"What about the second star to the right?" Emma suggested, giggling in his ear.

This was the Neal she remembered. The one that wasn't afraid to be silly and goofy, one that wasn't afraid to be complete dork around her.

He couldn't believe he was piggy backing her all the way to the third floor of the hotel.

This was going to be one hell of a night. 


	4. How Many Drinks

Neal slid a beer to Emma's side of the table. 

"Drink it," he said, popping open a bottle of his own.

She smirked and gave him a _"This isn't a good idea and you know it"_ look but accepted the drink.

"Emma, I know you've been having a rough time on this trip so far. But I'm aiming for more fun and less tears," Neal said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Sounds good to me," Emma agreed.

"Henry doens't like seeing you like that, ya know? He can see it in your face that something's wrong," Neal confessed.

"You can't hide anything from that kid," Emma shook her head, "he's too smart for his own good."

"I wonder where he got that from," Neal joked, shaking his bottle, causing the contents to swirl around.

"Not you," Emma confirmed, trying not to laugh at him.

The hotel held a movie night once a week for the kids in the hotel, and they were welcomed to sleep over. Henry had begged them for hours if he could go, and Emma couldn't say no. She found humor in the fact that there were other kids as obsessed with dragons and daggers as he was.

"Do you ever get that parent feeling?" Neal asked, finishing off his first bottle.

"What parent feeling?"

"You know, the parent's night away from the kids- or the kid in this matter thing."

Emma nodded to show she understood as she took another sip.

"What's taking you so long to finish that? You almost used to finish a beer faster than me," Neal laughed.

"Look's like I've aquired a little bit of class along the way," Emma shrugged.

Neal held up his empy bottle with one pinky as if to mock her.

Emma looked down to hide the smile that formed on her face. Last time she laughed at him for doing something stupid was twelve years ago and before she knew it he had gone as far as to drunkenly steal a car to keep her laughing.

Neal saw the smile she was hiding and for a moment he saw a glimpse of the eighteen year old Emma he used to know. And now that she was there, he wasn't going to let her disappear.

xxx

Emma chugged her bottle, not breaking Neal's gaze. He was hilariously good at keeping a straight face, and for a moment she noticed that years of lying might be doing him some good for once. Seeing his almost empty bottle made her start to panic, her competitive nature going into overdrive. She didn't want him to win.

He wasn't even attempting the straight face that he knew she thought he was. He was stuck watching her features change with each thought she had. Her face showcased every emotion going through her mind, not to mention how funny she looked when she was concentrating. Her eyes lit up, containing all the laughter she couldn't let out.

The slam of Emma's bottle on the table made Neal jump, taking him out of his trance and causing the bit of beer he had left spill down his shirt and onto the table.

"Winner!" Emma exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Her smile was worth the loss.

"I guess that means I have to take back that comment of you being slow," Neal admitted, shrugging.

"Damn straight!" she yelled, slapping her hand down for emphasis.

He stood up and removed his now dirty shirt, figuring he might as well use it to wipe the table.

Neal had started working out and his six pack was showing just enough so Emma could see the outline. Sure, he didn't have as much to show off as Hook but she didn't mind. Hook kind of looked like a tool, anyways.

"But you also have to take back your own comment about you aquiring some class along the way," Neal suggested.

She stared him down for a moment. She was as stubborn as a swan, and he imagined that's probably how the name found it's way to her.

"Fine, but for the record- You're a sore loser," she smirked as she slammed two new beers on the table.

"Nobody wants to lose," He argued, laughing through his words.

He balled up his shirt and threw it to the oppsite side of the room, where it landed perfectly in his open suitcase.

"Swish!" He yelled, smiling proudly.

"Who are you trying to impress?" she teased, having her turn sliding a beer across the table to him.

"Not you," he laughed, stretching his arms over his head.

The muscles in his arms and back began to flex as he stretched, and Emma found herself trying to memorize every detail.

"Good... Cause- cause I'm not impressed," she lied, biting her lip.

He twisted his body away from her, pretending to stretch some more. He had seen her staring and now he was trying to hold in his laugh. She was unbelievable, thinking she could lie to him even a little.

Damn it, he had seen her taking too long of a look at him. She leaned over in her chair, checking to see if he was laughing. He almost was, his face looking like it would explode if he held his laugh in any longer.

Seeing him smile like that reminded her of the Neal she had tried so hard to forget. He brought out the best version of her, and she needed that from him. And now that he was here, she wasn't going to let him disappear.

xxx

"This is on the list of things they told you were unsafe as a kid," Neal pointed out.

"Yeah, I've completed about a million things from that list. Another won't hurt."

Neal's first hand stand was turning out pretty well. Emma was impressed, once again.

After she steadied him against the wall, she propped herself right next to him.

"Where did you learn to do a hand stand?" He asked, feeling like this wasn't a life skill everyone was taught.

"You figure out how to make your own fun when you spend the majority of your time by yourself."

Valid point.

"We're drunk," Neal stated, "the room is running laps around my head."

"Prove it," Emma challenged him.

"I can't prove that the room is-"

"No, prove that we're drunk."

Neal tried to think clearly, and decided he'd do a simple test on Emma.

"How many fingers?" He asked, sending a sly smile her way.

"Two" she automatically answered.

"Emma, we're doing hand stands against a freaking wall. I'm not holding up any fingers," he laughed.

"Point proven, but it was kind of hard to look at your hands while they were spinning around!" she yelled at him through laughs.

Neal's hand flew up, attempting to wipe the tears from her eyes but instead he ended up smacking her in the face. His face was alright bright red from laughing, and this incident didn't make it any better.

"Neal! That hurt!" she yelled, still laughing.

She kicked his leg with full force, ruining his balance and knocking him into a pile on the floor.

"Sorry!' she yelled, trying not to laugh anymore.

He didn't move.

"Neal, are you okay?" she asked, feeling the slightest sense of worry.

She reached one of her arms out to poke him on the back.

Nothing.

"Neal I swear to God-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he reached out and pulled her to the floor with one swift movement, causing her to elicit a scream that he was sure the neighbors heard.

He started to tickle her, and she rolled around on the floor like a child. Her limbs failed as she struggled to regain control.

"Neal stop!" she yelled, trying to shove him off of her. But he wouldn't let up. He ticked her until his fingers were sore.

"Fine, you're free," he decided, backing off.

He was stuck smiling at her. It was different to see her this happy. She looked like a child, cheeks rosy from laughing so much.

"Let's grab another drink," he suggested, struggled to stand.

But before he could stand, she had him on his knees in a headlock.

"Not so fast," Emma smiled, using one of her bail-bonds person lines.

She punched him in the arm numerous times.

"That's what you get for tickling me," she stated, but she didn't let go of him.

"You really think a few punches hurt me at all? Please."

"Oh hush," she said, grabbing his beer from the table and forcing it into his hands.

He took a few sips and set it on the ground.

"It's kind of hard to swallow when you have a hold of my neck," he pointed out, wiggling his neck around.

"Kinky," she blushed at her own joke.

"Good one," Neal laughed out, "Now seriously get off of my neck."

"Make me."

She was always challenging him, and if he said he didn't like it he'd be lying.

He yanked his head out of her choke hold, and swooped her up in his arms before she could say a thing.

"What the hell!" she yelled, trying to wiggle out of his hold.

He threw her on the bed before she jumped out of his arms and hurt herself.

"God, is it hot in here or what?" She asked, removing her shirt to reveal a white, see through tank top.

She passed him the hoodie she had been wearing, he balled it up, and he made it in the suitcase once again.

"Boom! Two for two!" He exclaimed.

But when he turned around, she was missing another article of clothing.

Her pants.

He watched her in shock as she stumbled from the bed to the kitchen table. She positioned herself crossed legged in her chair and waited for him. He tried to re introduce his mind to drunk Emma, recalling a bunch of weird things she had done after a few drinks.

He set two more beers on the table before sitting across from her.

"Cards?" he suggested, shakily shuffling the deck.

His head was spinning. And yeah, it might have been from the 4 beers he had in his system, but he had a feeling that Emma Swan was taking a toll on him more than the alcohol.

Her hair was uncurling, falling into waves on her shoulders. Her eyes were tired, but the spark wasn't fading. He liked her smile lines, although she would probably refer to them as frown lines. She looked stunning in a tank top and panties. This was Emma Swan in her Element.

His hair was ruffled and the bags under his eyes were really showing. Her heart increased in pace as she studied his breathing. The fact that he was alive still excited her. She was staring at him, and this time she didn't care if he saw. He seemed perfectly content around her. This was Neal cassidy in his element.

xxx

Two empty bottles of beer seperating them.

"Get in the hot seat," Emma demanded.

The deck of cards was scattered across the floor. They had given up trying when Neal had mistaken a 10 for a 2, admitting to Emma that his vision was too blurred.

"Emma, I'm already sitting in the only other chair besides yours," Emma laughed.

She laughed, realizing she forgot where they were for a second.

"Lightning round, you ready?" She asked, trying to excite him.

"Give me your best," he challenged her.

"When I came to your appartment in Manhattan, why did you run?" She asked.

"Are you kidding, Em? I knew your voice. I'd know your voice anywhere. And I knew the odds were slim that you were coincidentally delivering mail to my door. You were there for something important."

"If you thought it was important, why didn't you open the door?" She asked, feeling irritated.

"I was afraid of what you had to say, why you were there."

She paused, taking his answer into consideration. He wasn't lying. He had been afraid to talk to her.

"What was the worst thing you could imagine me saying to you?"

"Nothing was worse than what I found out," Neal admitted, his eyes wandering away from her.

"Your turn, Emma."

"Shoot," she shrugged.

"Did you ever feel bad not telling Henry the truth about his father?"

"Neal I- At first, no. In my eyes, you were someone I would never want Henry to associate with."

His heart hit the floor and she practically felt the pain herself.

"But after what happened in your appartment.. Yeah. That wasn't fair of me to do. There were so many misunderstandings between us, Neal, and I shouldn't have let have interfere with the relationship between you and Henry."

Neal was surprised, an answer that made sense.

"Now, I'm so glad you're here. With us- With him. Henry loves you _so _much,  
and he knows you're a good guy."

His heart felt a little lighter after he heard that sentence, and everything felt right again.

xxx

Four empty bottles of beer next to a sheet of paper.

"Eva," Emma suggested.

"Where did you get them from?" Neal asked.

"That was my grandmother's name. That's what my mom told me."

"I like it," he smiled.

"_Eva"_ she spoke as she scribbled the name down.

"Read 'em off to me," he suggested, tilting his head back to take a sip.

"On the girl's side we have Mary and Margaret, for obvious reasons, Gemma-"

"Gemma?"

"Yeah, kind of like Graham and Emma mixed."

"Our child's name will not be derived from a guy you used to like," Neal argued.

"Neal, come on! It would be to honor him. Those feelings are long gone."

"Continue."

"Ruth, which was my other grandma's name-"

"It's a little too old lady ish for my liking," Neal confessed, taking another sip of beer.

"And Mary isn't? She asked.

"Mary has a cute sound to it," He argued.

"I think that's all for girls. For boys we have Nolan, my dad's cursed last name, and Emmerson."

"Emmerson, like Emma?" Neal asked, trying to connect the dots.

"Yeah. You like it?" Emma asked, hoping for a yes.

"Yeah, I do." Neal admitted.

"What about Baelfire?" Neal joked, winking at her.

She loved it.

"Middle names are a whole other story," Emma announced, sliding the paper to the side, "We'll save that for another day."

Neal sighed, rubbing his sleep deprived eyes.

"Oh God, I feel horrible," he announced, rubbing his stomach.

Before she could make a sound he was in the bathoom. What she heard next made her shudder.

"Seriously?" she asked the empty space in front of her. She couldn't help but to roll her eyes before shuffling over to the bathroom.

"Looks like I can hold my liquer way better than you can," she joked, leaning on the doorway.

God, he looked horrible though.

She made her way to the kitchen, hiding the rest of the beers from him in case he got any ideas. She poured him a glass of water and grabbed him a blanket off the bed before checking on him again.

"Thanks Em," he whispered, taking the water from her.

"I know how to recognize a despereate soul," she quoted his father.

"Not funny," he said in an aggitated tone.

"I'm sorry," she admitted, grabbing him by the arm.

"Come on, now it's my turn to get you to bed," she chuckled, dragging him to the bed.

She ruffled his hair before crossing the room to gather the empty bottles and pick up the cards scattered across the room.

"But Em- You need some help cleaning up?" He asked, his tone genuine.

"No, you need to sleep this off," Emma demanded, giving him the most serious glare she could.

After the mess was clean, she curled up onto the bed and watched Neal grab the pillow under him to cuddle with.

She tried to keep her laugh from waking him, but it must of happened anyways because through her blurred vision she saw him looking at her, and she swore she heard the words "I love you" before she lost consiousness.


	5. All Isn't Fair in Love and War

The sunlight poured through the window, perfectly setting itself on Emma's face. Her hair was a blonde pool of waves around her, her high cheekbones emphasized by the extra light. God, she looked beautiful even after a night of-

Neal blinked repeatedly, trying to remember the events from the night before.

He kicked back the covers, accidentally dragging her side down along with them. He was shirtless, and Emma was missing her...

Pants.

Neal shot up, searching the room with his eyes for any remains of last night. There was nothing to be seen, the room was just how he'd remembered it last.

"Hmm.." Neal vocalized, scrathing his face.

Emma's eyes opened at the sound of his voice, and she watched his confused expression linger. It was sort of cute in a way to watch him think so hard. When he got like this, Emma never interrupted his thoughts.

He felt her eyeing him, and turned to see her watching intently. Her eyes lit up when he smiled at her, the green reflected the sunlight, and it took his breath away.

"Morning," he greeted her, looking to her legs, then back to her, then to her legs again.

She followed his gaze.

"Why am I not wearing pants?!" Emma yelled, pulling the covers up to her chin. "

"I don't know, don't blame me," Neal said innocently, putting his hands up.

They both sat in silence, unsure of where to go from there.

"I could tell by the expression on your face that you also have no idea what happened last night," Emma concluded.

"How long were you watching me?"

"Long enough to know," She answered raising one eyebrow.

He had to figure this out before Emma jumped to conclusions, he decided.

He started at the kitchen, noticing several empty beer bottles.

"You couldn't have done all of this damage on your own, right?" Neal asked, peering back into the bedroom.

"What's our total?" Emma asked, confirming that she had helped.

Neal counted, and winced when he got to the last bottle. He hadn't drank this much in awhile.

"Thirteen," he announced, astonished.

"Who had the extra, I wonder..." She wasn't really wondering, because she figured he probably asked for it and she was too drunk to say no.

"I'm proud to say I'm the one who broke our record," Neal smiled to himself.

Emma snuck out of bed and hurried to her suitcase. She slipped on a pair of sweats before Neal could catch a glimpse of her bare legs again. She didn't need that awkwardness right now.

Neal started a fresh pot of coffee and sat at the table, holding his head in his hands.

"I forgot the aftermath of a night like that," Neal admitted. "My head's killing me."

Emma accompanied him at the table in her usual cross legged position.

"I think I remember something," Emma said, biting her lip.

Neal looked up at her. "Alright, what's the worst it could be." He threw out.

Their eyes connected, and each knew what the other was thinking.

"You don't think-"

"God, I don't think so."

"I wasn't wearing pants, Neal! That has to mean something. Who just takes off their pants?!"

"You do, Emma Swan," he reminded her, standing up and heading for the cabinets.

He grabbed two mugs, watching her out of the corner of his eye the whole while. She was biting her lip again, a thing she did when she worried. She was mouthing something, but he couldn't tell what.

He poured two cups of coffee and shuffled back to the table. The sound of the mugs hitting the table took Emma out of her trance.

"Do you remember anything at all?" Neal asked, his eyebrows nearly reaching the ceiling.

She took her first sip of coffee, trying to sort out all the random pieces of information that came to her mind.

"Cards?" She asked, doubting her memory.

"I could have told you that one," he joked, nodding towards the counter.

"We asked each other questions- And I won against you at something," She stopped to smile proudly. "And then I'm pretty sure you got sick and ruined our fun," she teased him.

He wasn't amused.

"That's all I've got, what can you bring to the table?"

She wasn't trying to be funny but he couldn't help but laugh at the pun she had just made. Her eyesbrows furrowed, which meant she had no time for whatever he thought was hilarious.

"My head is pounding, so that has to mean something," Neal suggested, rubbing his forehead.

"It's called a hang over."

"No, it's almost like someone hit me over the head with something," he said, wincing when he touched the top of his head.

She sipped her coffee slowly, peeking at him over her mug. She was sure she would remember hitting Neal over the head. But then again, she was sure there were a lot of things she should remember from last night.

"Got any bumps or bruises?" Neal asked, smirking.

"Not that I can feel, but beer bottles and a deck of cards can't be all the evidence we left behind."

She walked around the room, searching for any signs of the abnormal.

He loved when her senses kicked into that of the bail bonds person she used to be, with a hint of that _"I'll always find you"_ thing that ran through her blood.

"Well _that's_ where my pants went," She pointed to the floor, on the side of the bed Neal had been sleeping on.

"This looks really bad," He cringed.

She picked up the jeans, finding a note in one of the back pockets. Her eyes squeezed shut, not sure if she was ready to read it's contents.

"Bingo," She said, waving the note for Neal to see.

"Bring it over here," He suggested, not feeling too thrilled either.

She sat back down at the table and placed the note in the middle. They both looked at each other, then to the note, then back to each other.

"I'm not opening it," He said, scooting away slightly.

"Come on, whatever it is can't be that bad," She tried to convince him, when she herself wasn't even convinced.

"What the hell," He said, grabbing the note and opening it slowly.

His eyes looked about four times the size they usually were, and his mouth dropped open.

"Okay so, this is going to seem really strange," he said, staring back at the note.

He slid the unfolded paper across the table for her to read.

"Baby names?!" She exclaimed, standing up.

"Emma, I don't-"

"Why were we writing baby names unless-"

"No.. _No_, that didn't- We didn't-"

"Unless we did!" Emma yelled.

She was scared, he could see it in her eyes. She paced around the room, looking almost as if she was thinking of some irrational escape plan. _'Unless we did' _he repeated Emma's words in his head, _'Holy shit.'_

His body languaged mimicked the time he found out that Henry was _his _Henry. He looked like he was holding his breath, his eyes darting around the room with millions of thoughts.

"Neal, if this happened- If this is happening.." She started, trailing off.

She waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn't. He just sat there with his head in his hands, praying to God that this wasn't real. She was trying so hard not to lose it, but she felt like her knees would buckle under her at any moment. She picked up the note again, this time deciding to read beyond the title _"Baby Names."_

'Mary  
Margaret  
_Gemma  
Ruth  
__Nolan  
Emmerson,' _She paused, choking on the next name.

_'Baelfire' _she read, noticing the heart she had scribbled next to it. She sucked in a breath, her muscles tensing at the sight.

"Emma, sit down," Neal instructed her, putting his hands on her shoulders. Her face had gone ghostly pale.

"Don't- Don't touch me," She demanded, swatting his hand away from her.

"You don't look too good," He told her, hoping she would sit.

"I probably look great compared to how a feel," She said, shoving past him and making her way to the balcony door.

So much for that.

He felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest with the thought of Emma being pregnant. He could barely father Henry, let alone a baby. Not to mention the fact that his relationship with Emma at this point wasn't quite the ideal atmosphere he'd choose to raise a child in. Henry could handle it, he was happy that he even _knew _his parents. But he didn't know if this kid would feel the same.

"Stop!" He yelled, realizing he could kick himself for raising his voice at her. His chest was heaving up and down, his hands shaking. He didn't want her to walk away from the situation at hand. Not this time.

Emma whipped around, her face bright red, covered in tears.

"Emma, we don't know for sure what happened last night," He reminded her.

She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Maybe he was right.

"But if what happened last night is what we think it is, I'm already sure of what'll happen tomorrow," She sobbed, lips trembling.

"What are you talking about?"

"Last time you went, you never came back. I was forced to deal with everything on my own."

He knew she was scared, but her assuming he would _EVER_ abandon his child took him to a level of anger he hadn't felt in forever.

"Don't just assume I'd up and leave my child like that!" Neal yelled at her in disbelief. "_You're_ the one that gave our son away to some stranger!"

The tears had stopped, and she balled up her fists at her sides.

"Oh God," He vocalized, realizing the pain he had caused her.

She took a second, choosing her next argument careufully.

"Oh yeah, it's my fault that I went to prison," Emma rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Actually, it is," Neal said, scrunching up his face.

It happened out of nowhere. One minute Emma was 5 feet away, the next she was right in front of his face. He knew that look, the look she got when she was ready to swing.

"Do _NOT _even _think_ about putting your hands on me, Swan," He warned, pointing a finger at her.

But she did it anyways. Using all her strength, she sent him stumbling a few feet back, causing him to slam into the wooden tv stand.

"I wasn't even talking about you leaving Henry," Emma corrected him. "But if that's what you thought I said, then you must think it's true."

"What- You- You knew better than to steal the watches!" He changed the subject.

"And you knew better than to leave me to go to prison," She reminded him.

They had promised to always have each other's backs, and that was something Emma wouldn't let go of.

"I broke my promise because I thought it was helping you!" Neal yelled. "Believe me!"

"That's the same reason why I stole the watches, but you didn't exactly return the favor," She reminded him.

The tension lingered in the air, but neither of them said a word. Her tear stained face was starting to hurt him less, her words hurting him more.

She had hit that final nerve.

"You know what?" He asked, scratching his face. "It's probably better if I just- I need to go."

He _did _need to go.

Before she could argue, he started gathering things to throw into his suitcase. He didn't care if it was organized or not. He needed to get the hell out of there as quickly as he could.

"Start with this," She suggested, removing the swan pendant from her neck and throwing it on the floor near him.

She sat at her spot in the kitchen with her knees to her chest. _'What am I gonna tell Henry?" _She thought, panic striking her. She followed him to the door, catching him before he left for good.

"Good look telling Henry where I went this time," Neal said, a fake smile forming on his face.

She disregarded his comment completely.

"Give me the key," She demanded, holding out her shaking hand.

"I don't need this to remind me of you," He told her, setting the swan keychain in the palm over her hand before turning and walking out the door.

She peered out the door, watching him walk down the dark hallway. There went her life, falling to pieces right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was stuck figuring out the right words to tell her son.

He made his way to their rental car, jumping in and throwing his suitcase into the passengers seat. He had never wanted to move on from Emma Swan more than in this moment. He started the car, pressed shuffle on his ipod, pressed the gas as hard as he could, and got the hell out of there.

She dragged herself to the bed her and Neal had shared just the night before, lying down slowly. Her mind was in a trance, and she couldn't help it when the tears started to pour. This time though, there wasn't going to be anyone there to calm her down. She was on her own with this one.

_'I wanna wake myself up from this nightmare that I'm dreaming / I don't know why I took your love for granted, what the hell was I thinking? / I'm missing everything we had, I'd do anything to get you back / I don't know how I let you get away, guess that's the price I pay.'  
_Neal's speakers blasted the one song he definitely wasn't strong enough to listen to right now. He couldn't control the childish sob that escaped his lungs, and he clutched the steering wheel, trying to get control of his emotions.

Henry loved Neal almost as much as Emma had, and she didn't know how she as going to explain to him that she had pushed him out of both of their lives. But she was definitely _not _starting by telling him about his potential little sibling on the way. For now, she would lay on the bed, trying to remmeber anything else about the night before. Anything that would make Neal come back.

His heart was gone. It was in her possesion, locked away somewhere with a key he'd never find. _That's_ what Emma Swan did to him. 


	6. Suicidal Sheriff

**This is the for the anon who gave me wonderful feedback in my Tumblr ask box, you know who you are ;)**

There were four possible explanations for what was happening.

1. Emma was hung over.  
2. Emma was heartbroken.  
3. Emma was pregnant.  
4. Emma was dying.

She was certain the first three possibilities were all very likely, but right now she was hoping it was the fourth. Suicidal Snow was one story, but if Emma was back home, _"Suicidal Sheriff" _ would surely be making headlines in The Storybrooke Daily Mirror.

Henry had come back just moments after Neal had made his escape and to Emma's delight, he wasn't suspecting a thing was wrong. Or at least not that she noticed. She had put on a front, a happy face just for him. She had _lied_ to the kid, again. Of course she felt guilty, but how was she supposed to tell her son that his father had just walked out on them? Not to mention it was her own fault. So she told him that he had gone home early to set up a surprise for when they arrived home. Bad idea, she knew, but this would give her some time to find the right words.

The front she had used on Henry didn't help with her exhaustion level, but Snow had to call to tell Emma that her _"motherly instincts" _were kicking in. She suspected something was wrong.

"You're instincts are faulty," she had told her mother, getting her back for the time she had called Emma's lie detector unreliable.

Once that phone call was through, she let herself break. She had wanted to keep her promise to think about moving here, but now she couldn't. She couldn't think about it, about any of it, without feeling her heart shatter. But it was time to use the process of elimination to see if she was lucky enough to be on her death bed.

She knew the first possibility was true, because hey, six beers would put a dent in a girl. Even if she was a tough ass.

The second one was true because once you felt something like this, you didn't forget it. Not ever. You tried to. You distracted yourself with things you didn't give a shit about, you tried to lose yourself. Right now, Emma Swan found herself playing solitaire. When did she ever play solitaire? Never, and that's the point.

She was unsure of the third option, finding herself too much of a mess to take herself out and buy a pregnancy test. She could probably sneak out to do it because Henry was hanging out with his new found friends, but she felt bad leaving him here. And frankly, she was afraid of the results.

To her own dismay, she wasn't dying. But she _was _broken.


	7. 3:02 AM

It was 3:02 in the morning. 12 hours of driving. Countless thoughts of Emma Swan.

In the first hour, she was the foot on the pedal that drove 90 in a 25.

In the second hour, she was the pair of eyes in the rear view mirror that looked back at him.

In the third hour, she was the voice that screamed every curse word imaginable.

In the fourth hour, she was the hand writing on the note he scribbled for Henry.

In the fifth hour, she was the sound coming from the radio.

In the sixth hour, she was the bloody knuckles that had stopped the noise.

In the seventh hour, she was the alcohol in his system.

In the eigth hour, she was the apology text.

In the ninth hour, she was The Savior that had no intentions of saving him.

In the tenth hour, she was thoughts of a baby girl with blonde hair and brown eyes.

In the eleventh hour, she was the sobs that escaped him with no signs of stopping,

In the twelth hour, she was making him sick to his stomach.

Now, she was the way he was curled up in a ball somewhere out in the woods with no desires of being found. He couldn't play it off anymore, acting like he didn't feel a damn thing for her. Because he did, and it was physically and mentally tearing him to shreds.

He wished he didn't need Emma. It was always the game of cat and mouse. They were always going around in circles, making themselves dizzy and confused. Their love was insanity at best, and if this was the way things would always be between them, he didn't want it at all.

But he did. He wanted it _so_ badly. 


	8. Forgetting: It's Easier Said Than Done

"I don't want to get your hopes up," Henry started, "But I think Neal's going to propose to you."

Emma could kick herself for not telling him the truth. Karma was a bitch, and right now it wasn't going easy on her.

"Henry, I- I don't think that's what's happening," Emma faked a laugh, not letting him see the look on her face.

Her eyes were still swollen from the day before, and her heart ached with every mention of Neal's name. This wasn't fair to any of them, but Emma didn't think she could clean up the mess she had made this time.

"But what if it _is_?" He smiled, his face lighting up with each word.

He saw how much fun they were having at the beach the other day. He _knew_ something was up between the two of them. He had given them more than enough alone time to figure everything out, and now he was waiting for _Operation Swanfire_ to be a success.

"Kid, I don't- I-" Emma stopped mid sentence, attatching her sunglasses to her face for the millionth time today.

She was literally at a loss of words. Emma Swan was never at a loss for words. She slumped into the kitchen chair that she had claimed as hers, staring over at the empty chair across from her that Neal had thrown across the room just the day before.

"Well how'd the other night go?" Henry nudged her as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down, and she knew where he was going with this.

"Stop it, that's weird," Emma laughed, shaking her head. "Nothing happened. We talked. And even if something did happen, it's not like I would discuss it with _you_."

He stood in silence, studying his mother's appearance. It was the middle of the day and her hair wasn't fixed. It was in a messy bun, even, and he had never seen it that way. She had been wearing the same tank top and sweats since yesterday. The sun that came through the windows didn't nearly call for sunglasses, and her voice was worn out. Her phone seemed awfully interesting today, noticing that with every glance at it her condition seemed to worsen.

Something was _not_ right.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Henry asked, his voice so little yet so concerned.

_'Damn it," _Emma thought, realizing she was caught red-handed.

She still hadn't thought of the right words to tell him, but she had to tell him. She had to tell him now, at that. She took in a deep breath before removing her sunglasses.

Henry was shocked with the sight of his mother's tear stained face, her lips trembling at the release of her words.

"I have to tell you the truth," She sobbed. "All of it."

xxx

Henry's heart skipped a beat in his chest as he took a seat in the kitchen chair across from Emma. She had lied to him _again._ She was _just like_ Regina, and he couldn't stand that about either of them.

"Before you start blaming Neal for anything I tell you, let me just tell you that this is between Neal and I. You have the right to know, but you don't have the right to be angry at either of us."

Not only was she protecting herself from the wrath of Angry Henry, but she was protecting Neal too, without even realizing it.

"Fine," Henry gave in, knowing that he would still end up angry at maybe not just one of them, but both of them by the end of this story.

"The other night was great. We talked, we laughed, and we had a lot of fun," Emma informed him.

He smiled, noticing the spark in her eyes. But with a single blink it was gone.

"It was just when the morning came, I realized I had probably let the- my memories cloud my judgement of your father," Emma stuttered, avoiding the word alcohol.

"What happened? What did he do to you?" Henry asked angrily, his eyebrows furrowing like hers did when she was mad.

_'Oh nothing much. I Just opened up to him, let him into my heart all over again without even trying to,' _Emma said to herself, shaking the thoughts away.

"We got in a fight over- something, and I may or may not have shoved him into the tv stand," Emma pointed past the kid's head. "And then he may or may not have packed his things and left with no explanation."

She sat through the awkward tension in the air, not sure what else she should tell Henry. There was only so much a kid should know, and she knew that from personal experience.

He tried to imagine Emma hurting Neal, but he just didn't see it in the possibilites of things she would do. Not if she was in her right state of mind, that is. She didn't get that angry over nothing.

"Why were you so mad?" He asked, trying to pry it out of her.

"It was over something so- irrelivant. Something that happend when we were just kids. I don't know." She whispered.

He waited for her to further explain, but she didn't. She would when she was ready, if she would ever be. There were still things she hadn't explained to him about Neal from 11 years ago, so he figured it would be another 11 years until he knew things about what happened the other night.

He wasn't too worried though, because it was written in the stars that Neal would make his way back to her, and Emma back to him.

xxx

The time between night and morning had never felt this long. Not compared to the countless nights in her very own jail cell at 18, not even to the night after she gave up Henry. She was pretty convinced that Neal was gone for good this time. He was the kind of person to go by the "3 strikes and you're out" thing and surely, she had struck out.

_'I'm sorry. :(' _She read the text over and over and over again. The frowny face he included made it all the harder to read. She had gotten the message eight hours after he had stormed out.

Not that she was counting.

_'No you're not.'_ Her fingertips had finally found the courage to reply.

She was trying not to hold he breath, trying not to count on a response.

_'Don't be a bitch.'_ Popped up on the screen within seconds.

Her eyes burned with fury. _He _was the one who had walked out. Why did _he _get to be the angry one, yet she felt guilty when she was?

_'I'll show you a bitch.' _ She responded, pressing the keys extra hard.

He was thinking of a really good comeback, she could feel it. He must be as far away from her as possible by now, but she could still determine his next step without doubt.

_'Don't make me turn around.' _He threatened her.

God, did she want him to.

_'Why would you do that?'_

'There's something I forgot.'

'You're already gone, isn't that enough?'

She sat up in bed, her eyes scanning the darkness. She hadn't seen anything of his, but wouldn't she have by now? Unless he was talking about-__

'Henry.'

Sometimes she wished she didn't know his next step 99.9 percent of the time, because this time it wasn't a good thing. She felt her mama bear instincts kick into overdrive.__

'You'll have to get past me first.'

'Not if I ask him. He'd say yes.'

Once again, she was sobbing into her pillowcase. All she had wanted was him, yet he had to threaten to come back and take the only other thing she needed in this world. Her son. She was _NOT _going to let him take that from her, even if that meant lowing the chances that he would come back.

_'Keep driving, and don't stop until you get to the other side of the planet.' _She typed, her fingers shaking with each word she didn't mean.

_'You're nuts if you think I'm going to go the rest of my days without seeing him.'_

'Call me crazy.'

The silence she felt around her now was louder than any fight they had ever had. His scent still lingered in the room and on his side of the bed that she now occupied.

_'Stop being such a psychotic bitch.'_

Was he calling her names in all serious, or was he drunk? He had to be completely out of his mind if he thought he was going to get away with talking to her that way. She furiously dialed his number, hurrying to the balcony so as not to wake Henry.

_"Sorry, looks like I'm not at the phone right now. Never been much of a talker. Anyways, leave me a message after the-" _*BEEP*

He was a talker though. At least for her, he had been. She hoped he didn't regret every moment they ever had. She hoped that he would come back. She hoped that he felt just as much agony as she did, maybe even a little more.

That's when her phone rang. She picked it up within the first ring.

"Hi," He choked out, gulping after the word.

"Hey," She spoke, but it was barely a whisper.

"I called your mom."

What? He had done _what?!_ That's not what Emma had thought his topic of discussion would be. Her head was spinning, hoping that he still cared enough about her to have not told her mom everything.

"I told her that you were somewhat of a mess, maybe needing some talking to." He confirmed.

He had good intentions, she could hear it in his voice. But this explained why her mother had called her the day before sounding comepletely worried. Emma was struck with guilt, realizing she had lied to her mother. And the worse part was, her mother had known it.

"Do what you have to do." She told him.

"Stop trying to make me feel guilty," He told her, raising his voice a little.

"You called my mother so that I would have someone to comfort me," She reminded him. "You _do_ feel guilty."

"I also called her to tell her that you have some anger management issues, and that she should shedule you a meeting with Archie."

"I do not!" She yelled through the phone.

"Point proven," He chuckled. "Not to mention you shoved me halfway across the room."

She drew the line when he started questioning her sanity.

"Stop while you're ahead," She threatened. "I will tear you to shreds with every word that leaves these lips."

She didn't know it, but she already had.

"Emma, I'm starting to get real tired of this shit!" Neal yelled, tears forming in his eyes.

She heard his voice shaking, cracking with every word he yelled through his phone.

"Starting?!" She laughed through her tears.

"It isn't the first time you've torn me to shreads with your words, or your actions," He informed her, tasting the salt on his lips. "And I doubt it'll be the last."

The line was silent, and for a moment it hit her that he might have hung up. But she heard him trying to catch his breath on the other end.

Hearing him cry hit a soft spot in her heart, causing the corners of her eyes to prickle. And at the same time, that last sentence had given her a bit of hope that someday he might return. But for now, she _had_ to forget him if she wanted to save the last bit of sanity she had left.

"You know what, Neal?! Keep calling me names, tell everyone that I'm crazy. _I don't care!_ Being hurt for awhile is how I'll get over you. But if you- If this is what you have to do, do it. If it's easier to hate me, and call me names, and make me feel even shittier than I already do, then have your way. Do anything neccesary that you have to do to forget me."

Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Right when she thought she was as broken as she could get, she felt destiny and fate laugh right in her face. They had tricked her into believing that they were real when clearly, they weren't.

She wanted him to forget her? Then he would. Neal hated her more than he hated anyone right now, but if she wanted him to forget her, he would try with all of his heart. He told Emma Swan that he would take the moon right out of the sky for her, that he would try his best to snatch up the second star to the right if that's what would make her happy. He had to end this before it got any worse, which he didn't imagine it could.

"I don't want to make this any harder," She sobbed, the phone shaking in her hand. "But if you have to hate me-"

She choked on her words, and realized she was crying so hard that she could vomit.

"Love just doesn't disappear, especially when it's true." She heard him say before the phone clicked.

_He was gone, and he wasn't coming back._


	9. For Henry

Being back in Storybrooke was a blessing and a curse, no pun intended. Emma was relieved to see her parents again, and seeing her enemies was bliss compared to that vacation. She greeted Regina with a warm smile before handing Henry off to her for the following week.

"He's going to come back, believe me," Henry had whispered into Emma's ear during their goodbye.

_No he wasn't._

Upon entering the small apartment, she was stunned with the reality that it had now only occupied four. She did a thourough check to make sure he didn't leave anything behind. Nope, nothing. Except- a note.

She opened it slowly, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

But of course it was what she thought it was.

_"Baby Names" _she read, her breath catching in her throat.

_'Mary  
Margaret  
Gemma  
Ruth  
Nolan  
Emmerson  
Eva'_

He had circled Emmerson in red pen, and added _'Evangeline'_ in cursive along the side of the page.

_'And why did he put thought into these names again?' _Emma asked herself, balling up the piece of paper and storing it away in her beside drawer before anyone else could find it.

"What was that?" Snow asked, making Emma jump.

"Oh God!" Emma screamed, resting her hand over her heart. "Way to scare me half to death."

At this point, Emma wished she was lucky enough to be half to death.

"Sorry, sorry," Snow apologized, dragging Emma to her own bed. "We need to talk."

Talk about sentences that will make your heart fall right out of your chest.

"What's up?" Emma asked, as casually as her voice would allow. She already knew what was up.

"Well sweetie, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Snow replied nervously.

Okay, okay?! Emma was _far_ from okay. She didn't even know what okay _was _anymore.

"Oh.. Yeah I'm good," Emma laughed, glancing over at the drawer.

Snow grabbed Emma's hand in hers before going on.

"Neal said you were going to need some sort of- some kind of psych evaluation when you got back. What was that about?" Snow asked, attempting to comfort Emma by caressing her hand.

If Neal were next to her right now, Emma would have no trouble grabbing him by the neck and squeezing until his face turned blue. He had made her mother seriously worried, and for no good reason at that.

Okay, maybe there was a good reason. She had found herself wanting to die at the thought of him.

"Sn- Mom, I'm fine, really," Emma smiled sympathetically.

Snow wasn't convinced. This wasn't the end of the conversation as far as she was concerned.

The woman in front of her had most sympathetic face, yet she still wasn't ready to tell her everything. Emma felt so guilty not being able to open up to her own mother, yet she had opened up to Neal again.

Before Snow got to the door, she heard a voice.

"Mom- Don't go," Emma began to cry, stopping Snow right in her tracks.

xxx

He was missing her _so damn bad. _And that's all he could think about. But clearly, their relationship wasn't going to work out anytime soon. _'What's the perfect girl, if it's not the perfect time?'_ He asked himself, shaking his head.

The bartender wasn't looking too bad at the moment, but he eliminated that thought as quick as it had come to his mind. _'What would Emma say?'_

There were so many things that needed to be sorted out between them. More than they had started with. They took five stepts forward and ten steps back at any given moment they interacted.

Being with her and being without her drove him equally insane.

_'Let's talk,'_ He texted her, regretting it the moment he pressed send.

xxx

_'First breakdown of the day- check,'_ Emma thought, splashing cold water on her face.

Telling her mother everything that had happened wasn't exactly a painless procedure, as she had thought it _might _have been. She had to consider the fact that she didn't tell her mother everything, like the part where she shoved Neal so hard that she swore he might have had the guts to hit her back, or the fact that she was potentially pregnant. But leaving a few simple details out never hurt.

Her face was turning back to it's original color, opposed to the bright red it had turned from crying. When she felt she was presentable, she left the bathroom to see David- Her dad, anticipating her return.

When they looked at each other, his smile melted right before her eyes. It was gone within seconds, and before she knew it he was wrapping her in his embrace. He knew something was off for obvious reasons, like the fact that Neal was gone, and the way she'd shipped Henry off with Regina for the week. He could tell by his baby girl's puffy eyes and shaking hands that she needed somebody. And he would be that somebody for her, without hesitation.

She hugged him back, the smell of cologne only David wore, mixed with the faint smell of the police station filling her nostrils. They were good smells. Smells that made her feel at home. Speaking of the police station, she hadn't been to work in awhile. Not since her trip to Neverland.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna run over to the police station real quick to-"

"No, you're not," David argued, in that soft tone of voice that showed he was concerned.

_'Damn it,'_ she thought to herself, automatically thinking of ways to sneak around David's plans for her. Neal had left evidence here, and she was more than sure that he'd left something there too. Like this was some sort of game, some sort of scavenger hunt. She just had to get to it before David, or anyone else did.

"You're gonna lay down and get some rest," He told her, guiding her towards her bed. "And you're not going to get up until you look better. Are you hungry? Thirsty?" He asked, becoming her personal butler within milliseconds.

Emma would _not_ object to free food, ever. Especially if it was brought to her by someone else.

"Now that you mention it, a grilled cheese from Granny's wouldn't be too bad," Emma smirked at him.

David smiled back, happy that his little girl had a genuine smile on her face. He ran to Granny's as fast as his feet would allow.

And his little girl sat on her bed, carefully mapping out her escape plan.

xxx

She hadn't responded to his text yet. The silence was killing him, the sight of another shot in front of him making his head spin. The music was loud and the girls were pretty, but they were all the same. Everything was the same in Boston. He didn't see Emma fitting in here anywhere.

She was everywhere and nowhere all at once. He swore he heard her voice every couple of minutes, darting his eyes all over the room for a conformation that she wasn't anywhere near him.

But that doesn't mean he didn't want her to be.

xxx

She had convinced Snow to hold off David from coming home for as long as possible. She told her there were some things needing to be taken care of, assuring her that she didn't want the details.

She entered the grocery store, allowing her eyes to scan the place, making sure there was no one around that she knew. Regina and Hook were the people she was the most worried about, aside from her parents. They just- They knew how to get right under her skin whenever she made a mistake. They were constantly _'waiting for Swan Girl to take a fall.'_

She went for the chocolate bars first, because they were only her favorite things on the planet, apart from the fact that they reminded her of Neal. But what didn't? She figured she deserved one after all the shit she had put herself through. Throwing it into the basket she held on her arm, she casually continued scanning the shelves.

She threw in some cinnamon rolls for Henry, remembering how he had freaked over Cinnabon at the airport on their trip to Manhattan. _Another_ thing that reminded her of Neal. She shook it off, her eyes darting around for the thing she actually came here for.

A pregnancy test.

The anxiety rippling through her right now was enough to send her to Archie's office, she knew. That's why she kept calm, cool, and collected. She casually threw ten in the basket, because honestly, she needed to be reassured ten times that this hadn't happened- this wasn't happening.

Or that it _had_- that it _was._

She made her way to the register, pretending to be interested at the packs of gum on the counter. She had seen these a million times, yet she found herself reading the ingredients. She was looking at them, but not seeing them at all. Instead, she was watching the confusion on the checker's face as he scanned each individual test.

She paid the amount and got the hell out of there. That was enough awkwardness for one day. The police station was right down the street, and she was sure she could manage to get there without running into-

"Emma!" He heard, the confused voice of David behind her.

_'Busted.'_

xxx

_'I know I fucked up,'_ He texted her, feeling like he was being annoying at this point. He was alone now, and having to deal with her absence was a little more than he could handle.

Why did he leave? Why did he throw away everything that they had? He should have stayed, he should have let her cry on his shoulder. He should have held her in his arms until she stopped.

_He should have, _because he was the one who had put the tears there in the first place.

xxx

"Oh, hi," She said nervously, partially hiding the bag behind her back.

"I got you grilled cheese," David annoucned, holding the bag up for her to see.

Now she was lying to David. Someone was always getting stung.

"Good," Emma started, "I was just- Just running to the store real quick."

"I told you to stay in bed."

"And I was going to it's just- Henry really likes Cinnabon. And I miss him. So, I figured that I should run some- Take some over to Regina's house.. For him?" She managed to conjure up.

He raised an eyebrow, and she thought for a moment that he was going to investigate the situation.

"Hurry," He told her, patting her on the arm before walking towards the apartment.

Emma's next stop was definitely _not_ Regina's house. _Especially _not with the contents the bag held.

xxx

She wasn't responding to a damn thing that he was saying to her. It was unlike her. She always had some snarky comment, some sly comeback that blew him away. But now, there was nothing.

Maybe she had gotten to that point where she was done with him. For good. If she was he wouldn't blame her. He wouldn't blame her one bit. But he would try one last time before giving up.

_'If my time is up, just say the word,' _He typed, feeling the corner of his eyes sting with tears.

xxx

Emma rummaged through the drawers of her desk, looked under the vase of flowers that sat on her desk, looked _under_ her desk even. No signs of Neal even being here.

She was surprised. Either he really hadn't been here, or he had covered up his tracks perfectly. _'The skills you aquire from years of being a theif' _Emma laughed to herself.

She sat at her desk and propped her legs up, treating herself to a cinnamon roll before doing what she had to do. She wasn't going to wait to get home to take the test, knowing her mother found out _everything. _And if David found out about the test.. She had never seen him try to murder someone, but she could imagine the words he would use to describe Neal.

That's when she saw it. A piece of paper inside the cell. She squinted to see the words written on it.

_'For Henry' _It read.


	10. Daddy Charming to the Rescue

She stared at the the piece of paper that was taped to the wall of the cell. How he had managed to get it in there, she had no clue.

Oh right, he had stolen the keys. She should have know.

She walked up to the cell, squinting to see the smaller writing on the note.

_'Hey, buddy.  
I know you'll see this because you always follow Emma to work.  
Bonus points for always watching out for her. You're a good kid.  
Your mom and I aren't doing too well at the moment, but I'll be back.  
I promise.  
Just for now, I think it's better that I stay away.  
I have some things that I need to sort out with myself, some things that nobody else is capable of fixing.  
Try to find it in your heart to forgive me, because I swear I'll come back.  
And we'll pick up right where we left off.  
Don't think any of this is your fault.  
You're the best son that I could ever ask for.  
Just do me a favor and watch out for Emma, please.  
You're the only one I trust to do it right.'  
_  
There was something else she couldn't read, in the tiniest hand writing she had ever seen. She backed away from the door of the cell, rubbing her forehead with disbelief. He was trying to fix himself, for her? No way in hell. For Henry, definitely. She wanted so badly to believe it, but handing this note off to Henry was going to be one of the hardest things she ever had to do.

There was no guarantee that Neal was going to come back.. For her or for Henry.

xxx

"Why'd you let our daughter walk out that door?" Charming asked, setting the bag of grilled cheese on the counter.

"She missed Henry. I wasn't going to keep her from him," Snow informed him, crossing her fingers behind her back.

Charming rose an eyebrow at her response, struggling to believe what she had just said.

"So you let her just.. Go to Regina's house without us?"

"Regina wouldn't do anything to Emma while Henry was around. Plus, even though we're her parents doesn't mean we have to follow her around everywhere," Snow reminded him.

Well that was a quick comeback.

Too quick.

"So Emma is going to go spend time with Regina. On purpose," David said, trying to make sense of the story.

"With Henry," Snow corrected him.

"She _never _voluntarily just strolls her way over to Regina's house."

David had never been more confused in his entire life.

He grabbed the bag of grilled cheese off the counter and made his way to the table, setting Snow's in front of her before grabbing his own. She didn't touch it. Something was up.

"Where'd she really go?" Charming asked, his tone aggitated.

"I don't know," She responded, her eyes tearing up.

"She's running," He realized, darting out the door before Snow could say another word.

xxx

_'Henry and Evangeline, Daddy loves you.' _Were the last lines of the letter.

He had _known,_ Neal had _known_ and he had left anyways.

She was curled up in a ball in the corner of the jail cell, sobbing so loudly that she was sure everyone in Storybrooke could hear her.

The 10 pregnancy tests were in the bathroom trash, every single last one of them reading positive, and she had never felt so panic stricken in her entire life.

Emma's world had been destroyed in a matter of minutes.

She had managed to pick the lock on the cell, but it took every ounce of rage inside her to do it. And now, she had crashed and burned in the corner, not even wanting to get back up.

Not even caring what happened to her next.

xxx

Neal didn't know how she was going to react.

But he could only imagine the look on her face.

And he wanted so badly to get into his car and drive to Storybrooke right now, to scoop her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.

But he couldn't, not with the chance that he was going to just leave again.

He needed to get help, and now.

And he knew just the person to call.

xxx

Charming's stomach dropped at the sight of her.

There was a pile of Emma Swan in the corner of the cell. She was a mess, mumbling something about Neal and rose petals and apologizing. Her hand gripped a piece of paper that she wouldn't let go of. Her facial expression was blank, and he never once saw her blink.

"Emma," He called out, slowly making his way into the cell. "What happened?"

She didn't respond, but the look on her face said it all. She shuttered at his touch, curling herself into a tighter ball than she had been in before.

"Come on, honey. Daddy's here," He told her, scooping her up in his arms. She was shaking, cold to the touch from the concrete flooring.

Seeing her like this had him on the verge of tears. His arms shook but he couldn't help it. He was so afraid of what was happening to his baby girl. She was mentally exhausted, but he didn't know what had gotten her to this point. Had Regina stopped her from seeing Henry? If that was the case, Charming was never going to let Regina hear the end of it. Ever.

A literal puddle of tears were on the floor where Emma had been just seconds earlier, and Charming let his own fall at the sight of it. He left the station, slowly making his way down the sidewalk to their apartment.

"Can you tell me what happened?" He asked sympathetically.

"Neal," She mumbled, not moving an inch in his grasp.

He was furious, noticing his steps quickening with each thought of what he would do when he saw Neal Cassidy again.

He carried Emma all the way to her bed, lying her down as gently has he could. He sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her back in slow circles. She didn't move an inch. She just stared at the wall ahead of her, tears pouring onto her pillow case.

"Emma," Charming whined, rubbing his eyes before any tears could escape.

"Give her time," Snow told him, as she leaned on the doorway of the bedroom.

He dropped his head in his hands, sighing to himself. He felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do. He turned to get up when he felt Emma's touch on his arm.

"Dad," Emma sobbed, making eye contact with him for the first time since he'd rescued her.

Emma sat up, and when she realized where she was she starting crying even more than she had been just a few miments ago. She didn't remember how she got here, but she knew that her father's embrace was awaiting her. She needed that more than anything right now. He let her tears stain his shirt as he kissed the top of her head over and over, hoping that somehow it would take all her pain away.

But it wouldn't. The side effects of Neal Cassidy were just starting to kick in. 


	11. The Cat's Out of the Bag

"Honey, you've been in bed for two days," Snow informed Emma, feeling her forehead for a temperature.

"What?" Emma mumbled. Everything looked brighter than it should have been, and her mother's hand on her forehead felt like ice.

"Close your eyes, rest," Snow told her, shooting her that trademark sympathetic smile.

_Two days?_ She had been in bed for _two days?_ What the hell had happened? All she remembered was David, Neal, rose petals, something about apologizing and-

A baby. Emma Swan was going to have a baby. Like it didn't scar her enough the first time.

Not that she didn't love Henry, because she did. She just-

"Emma, blink. Do something. Don't just stare past me like you've seen a ghost. You're worrying me."

She had a reason to be worried.

"Mom I- I'm sorry," Emma whispered, closing her eyes.

"It's okay, sweetie." Snow said, making her way to the door.

Emma felt like her 18 year old self all over again. She felt scared, hurt, alone. She felt like she wasn't ready for this kind of responsibility. She barely knew how to take care of Henry, and at this point, he didn't even need taking care of anymore, really. He had much more faith than  
her, and much more mental strength, even. And now she didn't know how she was going to  
take care of a baby, because she never had.

She needed someone, badly. Emma's phone sat on the night stand but she couldn't manage to pick it up. Maybe Neal had tried to text her or call her. But she had nothing to tell him, he already knew it all.

Yet he had still left. She had never felt this horrible. Not ever.

xxx

Neal's first reaction was to call his father. But then his better judgment returned to him. His father was the _last _person he should call. Neal had pretty much concluded that this whole "coward" thing was hereditary. So, that was out of the question.

The next person he had considered was David. But on a serious note, David was probably figuring out a way to track his steps so that he could hunt him down and kill him. Neal had made a big mistake hurting Prince Charming's daughter a second time, and calling David for advice was only going to bring the date of his death closer. The whole "coward" thing had kicked in again.

The third person on his list was Hook. He was last resort, and this was low even for Neal. Hook was a ladies man, something Neal couldn't deny. But he had also tried some of his special tricks on Emma, and Neal didn't even want to think about that. Not to mention the fact that Hook would probably use their little "heart to heart" as a way to get to Emma. If he found out she was hurting, he would go right to her, and Neal was steering clear of that.

And then it came to him. Archie. He'd never talked to him, never met then man even. But if this guy could get Regina to level out, he was counting on the man to get him to do the same.

"Hey, Dr. Hopper. I'd uh- I'd like to schedule an appointment with you."

xxx

"How's she doing?" Charming asked, as he sipped his hot chocolate with cinnamon. Every Wednesday night Emma would accompany him on the sofa for hot chocolate with cinnamon. It was kind of a bonding thing they had started after Neverland. But tonight was different, he missed her presence.

"She's burning up, and her face is _so_ pale," Snow said as she started to pace the room. "But she  
hasn't showed any signs of being sick."

"I just wish I knew what was going through that thick skull of hers. Whatever it is, she needs to stop bottling it up before it drives her insane. I mean, you should of seen her the other day, Snow. She was on the floor in the police station, mumbling words that don't exist. And now  
she isn't leaving her bed. You have to try and talk to her."

Charming and Snow shared the same pained expression and the same shaky voices. They were trying to be brave for their daughter, but they didn't know how. They had been parents for  
what, ten minutes now? They didn't know how to be everything she needed, but they were  
doing the best they could.

"Snow, Please," Charming begged, holding out Emma's hot chocolate.

"Fine," She gave in, taking the mug in her hands. "I'll do the best I can. But I know what it's like  
to not want to talk about something. I won't force it."

Charming sighed in relief, but he wasn't calm yet. He didn't care if Emma didn't talk about it today, tomorrow, or next year. But he needed to see her being herself again.

Neal was going to pay for the pain he caused.

xxx

Neal wasn't too thrilled about his therapy sessions. He was going to have to go to Storybrooke  
at _least_ three times a week, if not more. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were his scheduled days, but Archie had told him that if he needed extra time he could stop by whenever he felt  
the need.

How he was going to avoid Emma and the Charming clan, he wasn't quite sure. Not to mention he probably needed to avoid Regina as well, and Hook. And just about everyone in  
Storybrooke besides Dr. Hopper.

_Great._

He wanted to go. He had to go. He needed to talk to someone about his daddy issues before  
his own got worse. He wanted to get back to Emma, and Henry, and their baby as soon as possible. The thought of _their baby _was pretty much ripping his heart out. He didn't want  
Emma to go through any of this alone, and she wouldn't. Her parents would be there, Henry would be there. Maybe she didn't need him there.

But he needed to be there.

xxx

Her stomach dropped at the sound of a knock on her door. She didn't want to see anyone, but she didn't want to be alone, either.

It was Snow.

"Come in," She said, her voice tired and quiet.

"Hey, princess," She said.

She made her way over to Emma with the full mug of hot chocolate.

"Hi," She mumbled, pulling her covers up to her chin.

"Hot chocolate sent straight from your father," Snow smiled, holding the mug out for Emma to grab.

"No thanks, not thirsty."

She _had _be thirsty. She hadn't had anything to drink it two days.

"Wanna talk about it?" Snow asked.

"Nope."

"Wanna be alone?"

"Nope."

Snow's heart felt like someone was grabbing it and twisting it inside of her chest. She was  
going to have to leave Charming in the living room for now, because she wasn't about to leave her daughter alone when she needed someone.

They sat there in silence, but every once in a while Emma's sobs became audible. Snow  
let her tears fall, realizing Emma probably wouldn't see them. She was hurting for her  
daughter, whose heart was broken for a reason she didn't even know about yet. She never  
had the chance to protect her, and now that she did have the chance she was failing.

She _would _keep trying, though.

xxx

"Welcome to my off, Mr. Cassidy," Archie greeted him, shaking his hand.

"Thank you."

Please, please, take a seat."

"Thank you," He said again, sitting down on the sofa.

"Let's start with why you brought yourself here today," Archie told him, crossing his legs.

"Well I- I need help with something. Something I can't fix on my own."

"And what is that?"

"I need to be a different person that my father showed me. I need to be a better father than  
he was. For Henry, for Emma, for-" He stopped, not wanting to let the cat out of the bag.

"For..?" Dr. Hopper asked suspiciously.

"For myself," He admitted, smiling just a little at the secret he was keeping.

xxx

"You were in there for three hours," Charming told Snow, checking their bedside clock.

"Yep," She agreed, laying on the bed next to him.

"Well what's going on with her?"

"I don't know," Snow choked out, trying not to cry.

"She didn't tell you a thing?"

"No, she didn't want to talk about it."

"She didn't want to talk about it?" He was raising his voice, enough to wake Emma.

"Shhhh," She hushed him. "I remember being in the place that she's in. She's going to need a little more time than we're giving her."

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I want her to get up."

"What if she's not ready?" Snow asked.

"Well I want her to eat and shower, at least. She doesn't have to stay up all day," He argued.

"Fine," She agreed, finally giving in to his requests.

"It's gonna be okay," He tried to reassure her.

He wasn't even sure himself that it would be, but he leaned in a placed a kiss on her cheek anyways.

xxx

"How do you feel about that?" Archie asked, scribbling something onto a notepad.

"I'm gonna have to admit, I feel awful. I didn't want to go- Didn't want to leave her. But I felt  
I had to. There was just too much fighting going on, and it really effects the kid, ya know."

"Well I'm sure it does, but what about you?"

"Of course it hurts me, man. But I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. That's why I'm here. When I get back to Emma, I don't ever want to leave," He informed Archie.

"How would you like to change yourself?" He asked, scribbling some more.

"I don't want to run away from my problems anymore. When Emma and I fight, I want to stay around instead of getting scared and running. I want to be the hero, the brave one in the relationship. I want to protect her from everything horrible and cruel in the world. But I can't  
if I'm a coward. And that's what I am."

"I'm sure you're not as bad as you think," Archie reassurred him.

"But I am, and I've messed with Emma and Henry. And I will _not _mess up with this new baby."

"A new baby?" Archie smiled.

"I probably shouldn't have said anything but... Yeah."

Archie pushed up his glasses before responding.

"You're a good man making bad decisions."

xxx

The next morning, Emma emerged from her room, her hair still wet from her shower and smelling like vanilla. To their surprise, she looked significantly better than she had yesterday.

"Hi," She smiled, forcing herself to sound as happy as possible. "What's for breakfast?"

Charming and Snow exchanged confused looks but brought the food to the table anyways.

"Pancakes and bacon," Charming announced, setting the food in the middle.

"Sounds great," She lied, setting a pancake on her own plate.

As she added butter and syrup, another looked was exchanged between her parents, and she knew they were onto her.

It was silent, each of them figuring out how to play their cards right.

"So," Snow broke the awkwardness. "How are you feeling?"

_'Like shit,' _She thought to herself.

"Better," She replied, keeping her mouth full so she wouldn't have to talk.

Charming watched his daughter's face. Every facial expression held a little bit of his wife in it. Right now, he saw something behind those eyes. They were glossed over, and there were feelings behind them that she wasn't showing.

"Did Neal mention where he was going?" He asked, purposely trying to get a reaction from her. Her face didn't even flinch at the question, but it was worth a try.

"No," Snow and Emma simultaneously responded.

Neal wouldn't travel too far from his son. Charming knew that much. There was a slim chance that he was staying in Storybrooke, knowing he would have heard about it by now.

The sound of forks scraping against plates was the only sound in the room.

"We're glad you joined us to eat," Snow said, sending a smile Emma's way.

"Me too," She agreed.

_'I could literally vomit all over this table right now,'_ She thought to herself as she struggled to keep her food down.

"Emma, what's going on with you?" Charming asked, giving up his "tough dad" act. "What's r_eally _going on?"

Emma gulped, nearly choking on her orange juice. How could she ignore that face? She  
_couldn't._

"Okay," She gave in. She had to tell them sooner or later. She chose sooner, figuring they  
would start to notice it on their own later. "Promise you won't get mad?"

"Mad at who?" Charming asking, raising his eyebrows.

"Anyone," Emma told him. "You have to promise me, or I won't tell you."

She didn't want her father to strangle Neal, figuring it would lessen his chances of coming  
back. And she needed him to come back. She didn't mean to threaten her parents in a bad  
way, she just needed her parents to promise her this one thing. They could see the  
desperation in her face, finding it impossible to object.

"Promise," They said in unison.

_'They didn't mean it,' _She thought, biting her lip.She took in a deep breath, preparing to go on anyways.

"I'm-" She started, pursing her lips. She couldn't find the right words.

"I'm pregnant," She confessed, staring down at her hands in her lap.

Snow's fork dropped right out of her hand, hitting her plate and then the floor, and she had no intentions of stopping it. She just stared at Emma, her eyes bigger than Emma had ever seen them. She was speechless.

"That son of a _bitch!"_ Charming yelled, slamming his fist down on the table.

Everything on the table shook, and his orange juice spilled its way across the table and down  
to the floor. Emma's face went from a look of worry to complete terror in 2.5 seconds.

Emma brought her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, a thing she did for comfort in any bad situation. She was hoping maybe this would help her be a little less  
noticeable at the moment.

Snow had picked up her eating utensil from the floor and was now holding it like a pitch fork,  
and she had her eyes shut like she was trying to suppress her anger.

"I can't believe he even had the _nerve!"_ Charming continued to yell, pacing across the room.  
His hands were rubbing his temples. "He had the _nerve _to pack up his shit and leave. He just  
left. How could he leave..." His voice drifted off, his anger turning into sadness.

"I'll get it," Snow volunteered, slamming her fork on the table before walking to the door. The doorbell had rang, and they had all mentally agreed that she was in the best shape to answer  
it.

"Regina," Snow faked a smile. "Henry. What are you two doing here?" She asked, blocking  
their vision to the kitchen.

Emma's hands were covering her nose and mouth, trying to quiet her crying as much as she could. She couldn't let Henry hear her like this. He was right on the other side of that door, and  
if he knew that she was in this condition he would let himself in.

Charming froze, not saying another word.

"What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to drop him off until the end of the week," Snow reminded her.

"Yes, I know," Regina admitted. "But Henry insisted that he needed to stop by on the way  
home from the store. He thought something might be wrong."

"No, nothing wrong here," Snow lied, smiling through the situation.

"Let me talk to Emma," He demanded, trying to get a look into the apartment.

Charming and Emma held their breath, mentally crossing their fingers that Snow wouldn't-

"Maybe you could come back.. Later," Snow offered, not knowing how any of this would be better later.

Regina was suspicious of Snow, she could see right through her extra big smile. Henry was thinking it through carefully.

"Okay," He decided. "We'll be back later."

"Okay, see you then," Snow smiled, closing the door in a swift movement as to not reveal the contents behind it.

A sigh of relief escaped each of them, and then the tension was back.

"They can't come back later," Charming realized.

"But he wants to see his mother. We can't not let him see his mother," Snow replied.

"And what are we supposed to do with Regina while they're talking? We can't just tell her to  
wait outside like some sort of dog."

"We could," Snow joked.

Nobody laughed.

Emma was still in her chair, her shoulders shaking with each sob that escaped her. She still  
had her face covered, too ashamed to look her parents in the eyes.

"What am I gonna do?" She finally cried as she started to hyperventilate.

"We're gonna do it how we do everything. Together," Charming announced. He had been too hard on his daughter, remembering she didn't like when people yelled.

Snow smiled with an attempt to keep her eyes from watering. He was the best.

Emma made eye contact with Charming for the first time all day, seeing he was being genuine  
in what he was saying.

He walked over to her and pulled her up into a hug, taking this as a moment to say sorry for yelling. His little girl was a grown woman, she could make these decisions on her own. She  
made it clear that she hadn't done it on purpose, but he knew he couldn't be upset about it. He just had to be there.

"Come on, kid," He told her, wrapping an arm around her. "Let's go wipe away those pretty  
little tears."

She smiled her first real smile in days, figuring this was her parents excepting her, flaws and  
all. She had always hoped and prayed for people like them. People who would love her no matter what mistakes she did. And she had made a _lot _of mistakes in her 28 years of life.

And although her face along with her father's shirt were stained with tears, everything felt  
better for a moment. 


	12. Rose Petals and Lavender

This is _not _the place she expected to run into him, not in the middle of Main Street. But she knew it was him. She recognized that beanie anywhere, only because it matched hers perfectly despite the difference in colors. It made her heart skip a beat, realizing that Neal could turn around and see her at any moment.

She followed him, wondering where he was going and how long he'd been in Storybrooke. She was walking right behind him, not letting her steps make a single noise, when his beanie slid off his head and into the space between them on the sidewalk.

Her heart stopped right along with her footsteps. She had to think of a reason to be following him, and quick. She swooped down to pick up the beanie when he was right there, face to face with her. He was close enough to kiss.

"Emma," He gasped, his face lighting up in a smile.

_'Snap goes the trap,' _He thought.

"I- I'm, Hi," Emma choked out. She was so happy to see him that for a moment she forgot about everything. Literally, e_verything._

"What's- How are you?" He asked, letting her pick up the hat for him. He needed a reason to keep talking to her.

"Angry," She admitted, stuffing her free hand into the pocket of her jeans. She waited for him to respond but he didn't say anything. She knew that face anywhere though.

"Don't run!" She yelled. As he attempted to break out into a sprint, she grabbed him. He struggled to get away but she held onto him and pulled him to the space between Archie's office and the building next to it, slamming him against the brick wall as hard as she could.

"Emma, what the hell are you doing?!" He yelled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Shut up!" She whispered, putting his hat back on him. She didn't _know _what she was doing, now that she thought about it. She just didn't want him to go.

"I have to go, right now. I'm late," He told her, attempting to walk away.

She slammed him against the wall again, staring him straight in the eyes. Just the reaction he knew he'd get out of her.

"Why do you want me to stay so bad?" He asked, out of breath.

That's when their lips locked for the first time in eleven years. Nothing had changed, nothing felt different, yet it all felt brand new at the same time. The world was gone. Now it was just two kids in love with nothing else to lose. All that mattered was that she was Emma and he was Neal, and that was more than enough for both of them.

"I know that I messed up, Emma. I know that. I just- I can't picture you with anybody else. I don't want to run into you five years from now and find you happier with someone who's not me. I can't stand the thought of faking a smile and telling you I never think about you. Because I think about you all the time. I think about all of your different smiles and what each of them means, they way you walk when you're angry, and the way you giggle when you're happy. I know the way Henry's favorite color is blue, that Cinnabon is his favorite dessert, how his red plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt are his favorite things to wear to bed... Emma, I- I never want to see a ring on your finger that I didn't put there."

She was at a loss for words, but her smile said it all. She had loosened her grip on his shoulders, and now released him from the wall. This time, he didn't run.

He was hoping that apology would be enough for her because he had one hell of a surprise waiting.

"Swear you won't run, ever again?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow.

How could he say no to her? She looked beautiful in that blue leather jacket with the beanie that matched. She was forgiving him for 11 years of mistakes. He owed her this, more than this actually. Way more.

"I swear," He agreed, "But under one condition."

"Haven't you put me through enough?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Put on this blindfold, right now," He commanded, removing a bandana from his back pocket.

"Neal!" She yelled. "You had this all planned out!"

She was pissed, but he knew she'd be thanking him later.

"I know it's hard to trust me right now. I know you're scared because you've been hurt. But I won't let you fall again, I swear on it," He said, holding out the bandana in front of him.

"If there's one thing I know about you, Mr. Cassidy, it's that you don't stop until you get what you want," Emma said, turning around.

He tied the bandana over her eyes, and it brought out every other feature she held. He grabbed her hand as he lead her down the street to Granny's Bed and Breakfast.

xxx

Neal winked at Granny and she handed off the room key he had requested earlier that day. He took the key, swooped up Emma in his arms, and made his way up to their room.

The sun was setting but the trees blocked all possibilities of light shining through the window. He gently set Emma on her feet before closing and locking the door behind them.

"Why did you put a blindfold on me and carry me home?" She asked, her voice confused.

Neal tried not to laugh as he lit every candle in the room. Everything looked perfect. He stepped behind her, and untied her blindfold so she could see what he had done.

There were rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed. Candles were lit on every possible surface. The bed spread was red, the sheets black. It smelled like lavendar, and Emma loved it.

"Neal I-"

"Shhh.." He whispered in her ear from behind her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed up her neck until he got to nibbling on her ear.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, resting it on his shoulder. She couldn't hide the smirk that formed on her face.

"You like that?" He whispered, laughing into her neck.

He slowly licked his bottom lip and then bit it before kissing back down her neck. He slowly zipped down her blue leather jacket and threw it to the side, and when he noticed the goosebumps forming on her arms he tried to rub them away.

But he didn't know that it only made it worse.

He turned her around to face him and when he saw the lust in her eyes it made him want to speed up the process. But he had to be patient. He promised himself to make this the perfect night for her. Better than any other experience in their little yellow bug or stolen hotel rooms.

Emma didn't say anything, she didn't act. She just watched him work on her and that was enough to get to him.

He crouched down in front of her and looked up into her eyes as he started to unbutton her jeans. When he got to the zipper he used his teeth, and he wasn't quick about it. He inched her pants down, revealing lacey blue underwear. They were light blue and even though the front covered her, it was see through like the tank top she was wearing.

Emma giggled at the way Neal had sucked in his breath when he'd seen what she had on, and that devious smile of his never failed to make her smile in return. She wiggled her way out of her jeans and he threw those to the side, right on top of her jacket, socks, and shoes.

He stood up and kissed her, his hands sliding down to grab her ass.

She grabbed his shirt, pulling him as close as he could possibly be to her body. She wasn't letting him go anywhere.

"Wait," He broke the kiss. "You make yourself comfortable. I'll be back with another surprise."

She smirked, kissing him on the nose before he made his way to the bathroom. She laid herself out on the bed, sighing with relief of how this night had turned out. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and she decided the beanie wasn't really cutting it at the moment. It didn't quite look sexy compared to her bra and see through panties that matched each other. She threw her tank top to the side and her hat quickly followed.

She heard the bathroom door creek open, revealing Neal in an ensamble she'd never seen him in. He wasn't wearing anything but an apron tied around his waist. He leaned on the door frame, smiling at the expression that had formed on Emma's face. Her mouth was gaping, a slight smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

He made his way over to the bed and leaned down right in front of her face.

"Can I take your order?" He asked, his smirk turning into a huge grin.

"What's on the menu, Mr. Cassidy?" Emma teased him, running her finger down his chest and to his apron.

"How about you pick the appetizer and I choose dessert?" He asked her, slightly bucking his hips when he felt her hand through the fabric of the apron.

"Let me get that started for you," Emma giggled.

She stood up and went around to the other side of him, the whole time her finger tracing over his skin. She turned him around and took his face in her hands, pecking him on the lips and kissing down his jawline and neck to his chest. She gave extra attention to the "Ohana" tattoo positioned over his heart. Her kisses continued down to his navel where his apron stopped her from going any further.

He watched her make circles around his navel with her tongue as she knelt in front of him. She tugged his apron off with her teeth, letting it drop to the floor. She looked up at him and smiled at the thought of what she had in store for him next.

She massaged his cock with one of her hands, the other rubbing the inside of his thigh. She was barely touching him and a growl had already escaped him.

Her tongue flicked the head of his cock, and made it's way to the top. Neal's eyes rolled back as he was fighting the urge not to take her right now. When she saw him suffering, she took him in her mouth, using both of her hands to pump him in and out.

"Fuck," He whispered through his teeth. His breathing was choppy and he was struggling to keep control of himself.

She started off slow, seeing how much he could handle. But when he started to buck his hips, forcing her to take him deeper, she grabbed his ass to help him. She squeezed it, and his spaced started speeding up. She slurped and sucked as loud as she could, seeing this had Neal's legs shaking. One of her hands moved from his ass to his balls, massaging them as lightly as she could.

"Oh fuck," He started to groan. "Oh God, Emma. Don't you dare stop."

She ran her teeth along his cock, and kissed the head. Then she used her hands to pump him again. His breathing became rapid as he grabbed her hair in his hands for support.

"You like this?" He asked, tugging her hair lightly.

"Mhm," She managed to vocalize.

"Ohhh, ohh shittt," Neal groaned, running his hands through his hair.

He had always been a moaner, something Emma loved about their sex. She was glad it hadn't changed. She removed him from her mouth with a pop noise that made him groan.

"Sit," She instructed him, spreading his legs apart. She licked his balls all over, letting her hands give his cock all the attention now.

Her hands were kind of occupied so she began to grind against his leg, little moans escaping her.

"Emma," He groaned, his voice trailing off. He was gribbing the bed spread, ruining the perfect heart he had made out of rose petals.

"Yes?" She whispered, smiling up at him.

"Uhhhhh," He moaned in reply, tilting his head back.

She pumped him with one hand as fast and hard as she could while she grabbed his balls with the other.

"Uh," She moaned, increasing her pace against his leg.

"Oh, right there," He groaned, thrusting his hips towards her.

"Right there?" She asked teasingly, squeezing his balls a little harder.

"Oh fuck yeah," He moaned, started to squirm.

She watched as he tilted his head back in pleasure, his eyes rolling back in his head. She was riding his leg as hard as she possibly could, finding all the pleasure she needed in watching him moan.

"Emma I- I'm gonna come," He told her, thrusting his hips a little harder. "Fuck, oh fuck. Here it comes."

She lapped the cum off of the head of his cock as it poured out, making sure she got every drop.

**To Be Continued...**


	13. Make Up Sex

She looked down at his leg, realizing she had been grinding on his scar. It was wet with her juices, but she leaned down and began to lick it slowly.

It was a tender spot for him, every movement she made with her tongue giving him more pleasure than it should have.

It was about six inches long. Neverland had been a dangerous place, but right now, Emma was the only thing he was worried about.

When she was finished, she looked up to see him gripping the bed spread. He wanted her so bad, something she had seen in his eyes since the day they reunited in Manhattan.

"Lay down," She commanded, watching him do as he was told.

She climbed on top of him and sat down on his dick. She began to grind in clockwise circles, putting her hands on his chest for support.

He gasped at the feeling of her on top of him and pulled her face down to kiss. The passion in their kiss grew as she began to grind her hips faster. She let out the slightest moan into his mouth.

Her see through underwear were the only thing between them now.

He leaned up a little, reaching back to unstrap her bra. When it fell on top of him, he threw it to the side. His lips kissed down Emma's jawline and to her neck, following down to her nipple. He began to kiss and suck it lightly, and let his tongue dance in circles around it.

"Neal," She moaned in a whisper, grabbing his hair in her hands.

He gave attention to her other nipple, kissing and sucking it just like he had to the first one.

Her hips moved in circles on him, causing his cock to grow with every movement she made. He thought he could burst again at any moment.

"Mmm, yes," Emma moaned, the volume of her voice increasing. Neal's lips made their way back to hers, silencing her.

He broke the kiss, holding her face as close to his as he could. He stared into her fluttering eyes, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smile.

"Baby, we've got to be as quiet as we can," He told her, finding it hard to stop staring at her lips. "Granny and her supersonic hearing."

"I know," She whispered, her lips swollen from kissing him so hard. But she kissed him again, giving him the go signal.

He looked down, and his hand followed his eyes to Emma's panties. Her body tensed up when his fingers brushed against her pussy as he moved her panties to the side.

"You're so wet," He whispered, a grin stretching across his face.

His fingers began to rub her pussy in circles and she bucked her hips against his fingers. She grabbed her breasts, squeezing them.

He watched her face as she bit her lip, trying not to make a noise.

He couldn't stand Granny's super hearing, and he didn't want to think about it. He loved the sounds Emma made when she was making love to him.

The pace of his fingers quickened and so did the breathing he felt on his neck. Chills took over his body.

"Baby, that feel so good," She moaned, placing a hand on his to help him out.

"Baby, huh?" He asked her, smirking. He was running out of breath just watching her.

He looked down at his dick to find it wet with her juices, and he was ready to take her. He grabbed her ass with one hand, lifting her slightly, and his other hand grabbed his dick.

"Baby, come on," He nodded at her.

She slowly lowered herself onto his dick, the feeling being all too familiar.

"Mmm," They both moaned, giggling at each other.

He thrusted his hips up with a sudden movement, getting as deep as he could get.

"Shit!" She yelled, shutting her eyes as tight as she could at the realization of how loud she'd been.

"Shhh," Neal whispered, putting a finger to her lips.

Emma grinded her body up and down as slowly as she could, memories floating to her mind of the last time they had been in this position.

"Mmm," She moaned, the noise muffled by his kisses.

He grabbed onto her ass, helping move it up and down with his hands.

"You're perfect," He whispered, his eyes closed.

If only she knew how much that meant to him. She couldn't tell him right now, but she wished he knew. He couldn't see the expression on her face as she watched him. She was never going to forget this moment, ever, and she blinked to make sure to save a picture memory of it.

He grabbed her and flipped her over, taking her out of her trance. He sped up his pace as her moans became more frequent.

He leaned down to suck her nipple, up her neck and to her lips where he slid his tongue in her mouth.

"Ooooh, fuck," She whispered, delighted at how he remembered she liked slow versus fast.

He slowly slid his cock out, grabbing it in his hand and lightly slapping it on her pussy. Then he slid it back in, the both of them gasping at the exact same moment.

"Faster," She ordered him.

He could hear the desperation in her voice, and he liked it.

He picked up the pace, and before he knew it their bodies were slapping together.

He was thrusting as hard as he could, going as deep into her as possible and she was meeting him halfway, thrusting up towards him.

"Emma, oh my God. Don't stop," Neal whispered.

"Right there," She moaned, throwing her head back against the bed.

"You like that?" He teased, smiling just the slightest.

"Oh yeah," She moaned, grabbing his ass to shove him farther into her.

When Emma's body moved, the time didn't. Neal and her, the two of them, this was their moment. It was something that Neal would never let go of, not ever, because he had been waiting for this for over a decade.

His hair was doing that messy thing again, his lips swollen with her kisses. The way he was struggling to catch his breath left Emma breathless. His body moving in time with hers was the perfect melody.

"Neal, I'm gonna-" Emma started before losing her voice.

"Cum for me," Neal whispered, rubbing her clit.

Every time his fingers managed to hit the right spot Emma would let out a scream. She was definitely close.

The sound of the squeaking bed wasn't enough to drown out the moans that started to escape Neal as well.

"Come on, baby. I know you're close," Neal chocked out, his eyes darting in all directions to watch her.

Emma's blood was boiling; her heart was racing a mile a minute.

Neal had his eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold in his cum long enough for Emma to cum first when his eyes shot open at the sound of her scream.

She had one hand tugging his hair, the other squeezing his ass.

"There you go baby, ride it out," Neal instructed her, helping her grind through the orgasm.

When she was finished she laid there and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath when she felt Neal's cock throbbing with every slow movement he made.

He leaned down to her ear, moaning inside of it as he released inside of her.

"Oh God," Emma moaned, his voice turning her on.

Neal looked up at her, a devilish grin spreading across his face. It was contagious, and Emma began to giggle.

"Ready for round two?" Neal asked, following up his question with a kiss.

Emma didn't know if she could take another round, but she would never pass up the opportunity to be this close to Neal Cassidy.


	14. Thrills and Spills

So _that's _what smelled like lavender. Emma heard running water from the bathroom and she could tell that the lights were dimmed by looking at the crack under the door.

"Babe, come here," She heard Neal call.

She tip toed to the bathroom door, slowly pushing it open. To her surprise, there he was, bending over to turn off the water.

She admired his body, her eyes stopping on his ass.

"I know you want this," He laughed, making eye contact with her.

_'Shit.' _She hated when he caught her staring at him.

"Get over here," He nodded at her, reaching his hand out for her to grab.

She took it, and he helped her into the bathtub, watching her ass as she lowered herself into the tub.

She cupped bubbles into her hand and blew them his way, a giggle escaping her when he caught them in his hand.

He positioned himself behind her and opened his legs for her to sit in between. She rested her head on his chest, leaning up to kiss him.

Emma let out the slightest moan at the feeling of his dick rubbing against her ass.

"You like that?" He whispered in her ear, teasing her earlobe with his tongue.

"Mhm," She confirmed, grabbing his chin in her hand.

She kissed him again, this time lightly biting his lip.

It was his turn to moan.

She felt his cock twitch underneath her, and she smiled proudly to herself.

Neal began to message the insides of her legs, spreading them slightly.

Her eyes rolled back as she put her hands on his, guiding them in just the right direction.

Their hands were getting closer to her pussy, but Neal was avoiding it for as long as he could. He wanted her to want it so badly. He wasn't going to let her get it this easily.

He was smiling, finding joy in teasing her.

Finally, she lifted her hand off of his and started rubbing her clit in quick movements.

He watched, astonished at how turned on she was.

"I want it," She whimpered, reaching her free hand back to grab his dick.

"Oh shit," Neal moaned at the unexpected touch of her.

His breathing became staggered as he watched her pleasure herself, her back slowly arching until the space in between them was unbearable for him.

"How do you want it?" He whispered into her ear.

"From the back," She responded, positioning herself on all fours in the tub.

Neal got on his knees behind her and grabbed her ass in her hands.

He slowly pulled her towards him, sliding his cock in.

"Ahh shit," Emma moaned, biting her lip.

They met each other half way, thrusting back and forth at the perfect pace.

"Faster?" Neal asked.

"Yes," Emma moaned, spreading her legs apart.

He grabbed her hair in one of his fists, pulling it far enough so that he could see the expression on her face. The other hand was rubbing her clit in circles.

"Throw it back," Neal instructed her.

She threw her ass back at him in sudden movements and each time their bodies slapped together they each let out a groan.

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh," Emma's moans became repetative and only got louder.

Her noises were becoming louder than the slapping of their bodies, which was probably loud enough for all of Storybrooke to hear.

"Shh," Neal quited her.

He really didn't think he could handle Granny's teasing about this.

She stopped slapping her ass against him and starting grinding on him.

"Em- Oh my God," Neal shuddered, watching her hips wind in slow circles.

"Mmm, I'm gonna cum," Emma informed him, her grinding turning into hard thrusts.

"You're getting so tight," Neal told her, grinding his hips around in circles to find her spot.

"Right there," She moaned, arching her back.

Neal thrusted his hips as hard and as fast as he could into her, watching her ass ripple with each hit.

"You gonna squirt?" Neal asked, his hand frantically rubbing her pussy.

The way her legs started to quiver said it all.

"Oooh, uh uh uh, shit," Emma moaned, her arms beginning to shake.

She shuddered when she felt Neal cum inside of her, and that's when she squirted into his hand.

"Oh fuck, atta girl," Neal chuckled.

He tilted his head back, gasping for air. That's when he heard a noise.

His eyes shot open to see Emma face down in the tub.

"You've got to be kidding me," He said out loud.

xxx

"Neal?"

Everything was fuzzy. Emma couldn't see straight. The room was spinning although she was pretty sure she was lying down.

Neal entered the room, a smile forming on his face when he noticed she was awake.

"What happened?" She asked, automatically moving a hand to her forehead.

"Hey, don't touch it," He instructed her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

He had a towel wrapped around his waist and a bloody wash cloth in his hand.

"You kind of... Passed out," Neal informed her, a sympathetic smiling spreading across his face.

"I did? I've never done that," Emma said.

When she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion her forehead began to sting, causing her to suck in a breath.

"You got yourself pretty good on the corner of that faucet," Neal chuckled, moving the wash cloth towards her head.

She squeezed her eyes shut to try and ignore the pain that rippled through her forehead.

"It hurts, really bad," Emma winced, grabbing his hand. "Sure it doesn't need stitches?"

"Nah, you're fine," He said.

She watched the way he was focusing on the cut she had given herself, the way he looked concerned for her safety. She found the sides of her lips curling up into a smile that she didn't want him to see.

"What does it look like?" She asked, not fully knowing if he knew what needed stitches or not.

He lifted himself off the bed, entering the bathroom. She heard him rummaging through some drawers and then he returned back to her side.

"Take a look," He said, holding out the mirror in front of her.

"Holy crap!" She yelled, suddenly feeling the pain more than before.

"It's a pretty long cut," Neal admitted, squinting his eyes to study it some more. "But it doesn't look that deep."

_Long _and _deep. _Emma couldn't get her mind out of the gutter.

The cut literally stretched across her whole forehead diagonally. She sat up in bed, leaning forward to kiss him when blood started dripping down her face.

"Neal I don't- I don't think this is okay," Emma told him, a panicked look taking over her face.

"Hold this cloth on it," Neal instructed her, putting the cloth on her forehead.

"Neal, blood is dripping out of my head!" She yelled, applying preasure to her forehead. "I'm pretty sure holding a cloth up to it isn't enough."

"Damn it," He whispered under his breath, gathering Emma's clothes off the floor. He grabbed everything but her jacket, exchanging it for his burgundy hoodie.

He helped her get into her clothes while she held the cloth to her head. She didn't look so good now that he thought about it.

Then he threw on his own clothes, noting how cute she looked in his sweater. He threw the hood over her head, tucking her hair inside of it.

"Come on, babe," He said, scooping her into his arms.

They were leaving the room the exact way they had entered it.

xxx

He sat in the waiting room, his hands gripping the arms of the chair he was in. Her parents would kill him if they knew she was with him tonight.

He checked the clock. 3:02. Well, if they knew she was with him last night.

He couldn't concentrate on the tv in front of him. The volume was muted and all he could hear was the sound of his own thoughts.

"Mr. Cassidy?" He heard a doctor's voice. He turned to see Dr. Whale.

"Yeah, that's me," Neal said, standing up to shake his hand.

"Emma took a pretty bad fall, did she?" He asked, his suspicious tone hitting a nerve with Neal.

"Yeah," He said, his voice aggitated.

Whale stared at him, almost as if he was sizing up his opponent.

"What happened?" Whale asked, smirking.

"She fell out of her bed," Neal said, his reaction being faster than he thought it would be.

"Did she?" Whale asked, cocking his head.

"Yeah, I just said she did," Neal said. He shook his head in frustrating.

Whale didn't say anything.

"Well, how is she?" Neal finally asked, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"She'll be fine. Just a few stitches was all."

"How many is a few?" Neal asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"They stretch across her forehead," He said, shrugging.

"You're a doctor, man! You're supposed to know!" Neal yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

This guy definitely became a doctor from the curse, Neal decided. He obviously didn't know a thing.

The elevator made a beeping noise, causing Neal to turn his head in it's direction. When he turned to look at Whale, he was gone.

The doors opened, and who else would be there besides the people he wanted to see the least.

The Charming's. 


	15. Forgiving is Forgetting

"What happened to my daughter?" Charming asked.

His stare cut Neal to the core. Neal gulped, trying to come up with a little white lie as quick as humanly possible.

"Answer me," Charming demanded.

"Charming.." Snow warned him, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt to stop him from bolting towards Neal.

Neal stumbled back into the coffee table that was behind him, knocking over the clock that was shaped like a teapot. He fumbled with it, never taking his eyes off of Charming.

"What happened to my daughter?!" Charming repeated, this time yelling loud enough to wake every patient on their floor.

Neal finally managed to set the clock in it's original upright position before responding.

"Just let me-"

"Did you hurt her?" Charming asked, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Neal's face went blank and his lip started quivering.

"I would _never,"_ Neal told him, dragging out the last word for emphasis.

Charming believed him.

"I'm sorry," Charming said, shaking his head in the realization that he had hit a nerve.

"Since we'll all be here for awhile, want to take a seat? I'll explain everything," Neal told them, gesturing towards the couch.

Neal felt horrible. He had hurt Emma, freaked out the her parents, and he could only imagine the panic Henry was in.

He brought them each a cup of coffee before sitting in the empty chair that was next to the couch.

"Where's Henry?" He asked, taking a sip of his own coffee

"We drove him over to Regina's," Snow informed him, a sympathetic smile spreading across her face.

It was the exact face he had seen Emma make so many times before, but when he saw where she got it from it made his stomach drop.

"Where were you?" Charming asked, the angry tone returning to his voice.

Neal took in a deep breath.

"Emma and I-"

"Where did you go? And why didn't you tell anyone where you were going? For the last two months Emma's been moping around Storybrooke," Charming said, squeezing his eyes shut.

He didn't want to remember Emma's face the day he'd found her in the police station, but it kept coming back into his mind.

"I had to take care of... Something," Neal told him.

He avoided eye contact with Charming, instead locking his eyes on Snow. Neal was ashamed he had just left without any words, but it was something he had to do.

He was better now.

"What was it?" She asked, the tone of her voice saddening.

"I'm a lot like my father..." Neal said, his voice drifting off until it was a whisper. "I was a coward. But I'm not anymore."

Snow's face suddenly lit up, a smile forming on her face.

"That's great," She said, grinning from ear to ear. She was proud of him.

"How'd you stop being a coward?" Charming asked.

"A lot of meetings with Archie, believe it or not," Neal chuckled. Snow's approving smile had made his heart feel a little lighter.

The only sound in the room was the ticking of the little teapot clock that sat there in front of them. Each of them were trying to sort out the situation they were in and how to deal with it.

"Emma left the house for five minutes and doesn't come back all night. How'd that manage to happen?" Charming asked, breaking the silence.

Snow scooted up to the edge of the couch, anxious to hear.

"I was going to one of my meetings with Archie. I parked my car a few blocks down and decided to walk the rest of the way."

"You didn't want to be seen," Snow confirmed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," He admitted.

"I heard footsteps behind me, and honestly, it kind of freaked me out. So I started to walk quicker and when I was just a few feet from Archie's my hat fell off. I turned around to pick it up and Emma was crouched on the ground holding it."

"Sneaky girl," Charming said, shaking his head. "She knew you'd be there."

"How did she know?" Neal asked, looking suspiciously from Snow to Charming.

"She was watching you," Snow realized.

"Watching me?"

"_That's _why she's suddenly taken this interest in looking out the window every fifteen minutes," Snow said, smiling in amusement.

"I noticed that too," Charming chimed in. "I told her that I've lived here for 28 years and every time I've ever looked out the window I saw the same things."

Neal held back the smirk he felt coming on. He couldn't vocalize that he secretly enjoyed the news the Charming's were giving him. Emma had been watching him. Timing him. Figuring out his schedule.

He was so glad she did.

"So we went to Granny's to grab a bite and talk, and we went up to the spare room there. You know, the one I had before I moved in with you guys."

Their expressions suddenly hardened.

"To talk," Neal confirmed. "We just talked. We fell asleep, and when I woke up she was on the floor. I went to put her back on the bed but there was blood everywhere."

Snow's hand shot up to her mouth, and the look in her eyes showed more pain than words could express.

"Those damn nightmares," Charming whispered to himself.

"What nightmares?" Neal asked.

"After you left, all Emma did was sleep. She stayed in her room for days straight without eating or drinking and just slept. During many of those days she'd wake up screaming something about you, and rose petals, and that she was sorry."

Neal looked like he could cry. He burried his puppy dog face in his hands, trying to wipe away the tear that was slipping out.

"I'm so sorry," He mumbled.

He had hurt her more than he had even imagined. Now he was thinking back to when she went to jail, all the horrible nights she must have had. He should have taken those for her.

When he looked up, The Charming's were waiting for him to finish his story.

"I brought her here and they rushed her right in for for stitches. She was knocked out cold so I couldn't ask her what happened. I think she just rolled out of bed, is all."

Neal's lie was finished, now he was just hoping Emma would play along.

"Thank you, Neal, for bringing her," Snow said. Her words were perfectly sincere.

"No problem. I just want what's best for her," He said.

"Us too," Charming agreed, standing up. "We better go check if we can see her yet."

Neal followed them through the empty hallway until they were 4 rooms down. They peeked through the window, seeing that Emma was still asleep.

"You can go in," Whale called from behind his desk.

As soon as Neal opened the door the Charming's rushed to Emma's side. Snow grabbed her hand and Charming stroked her hair.

"Mom? Dad?" Emma said, squinting her eyes open.

"Emma, honey. You're gonna be okay," Snow said, nodding her head.

"Why is she in the bed?" Neal asked, leaning out the doorway to speak to Dr. Whale again.

"She has a concusion. When she hit her head, it was bad enough to knock her out. I just wanted to keep her here until she woke up."

_'Well actually, when I made her squirt she passed out, then she hit her head,' _Neal thought to himself. He smiled and nodded at Dr. Whale before focusing his attention back to Emma.

"Do you remember what happened?" Snow whispered.

"Uhm, yeah. I think that-"

Neal stood behind Emma's parents, shaking his head as fast as he could. He couldn't let her tell the truth. Not about this.

When her eyes locked on his, she finally found the words to say.

"I remember falling," Emma said, nodding.

Neal sighed in relief.

The truth was, Emma had no clue why Neal was shaking his head. She couldn't remember right now. But she could tell that he didn't want her to tell the real story of how she hurt herself.

"You can take her home now," Whale said, walking into the room to take a look at Emma. "She's awake, and that's good."

"Are you sure you know what you're talking about?" Charming asked.

"I know that you and Snow will take great care of her. Wake her up every few hours to ask her simple questions, like what her name is and where she is. It'll help her brain regain strength. The stitches across her forehead will dissolve, and she should be better in no time. Just make sure she takes it easy for the next week," Whale said, shooting a flirtatious smile Emma's way.

She rolled her eyes and everyone in the room chuckled except Whale, embarassment washing over his face.

Charming swooped her up into his arms, carrying her down the hallway.

When the entered the elevator, Neal pressed the button, sending them down.

xxx

"Emma, you've got to stay with me," Neal said, lightly slapping the side of her face.

"What?" She groaned, her eyes fluttering.

"I know you're tired and you really want to go to sleep, but you have to wait until we get home," He informed her, his voice almost reaching a baby talk.

"Oh, okay," She said, turning to look out the window.

They were on their way home from the hospital in the four door police car shared by Emma and Charming. Charming drove with Snow holding his hand from the passenger's seat. Neal occupied the back seat with Emma, trying his best to keep her awake.

Neal winced when he looked at Emma's forehead. She looked like some sort of Frankenstein experiment and she had the brain of a zombie at the moment. Henry would freak for sure.

They pulled up to the apartment around 4. The sun wasn't rising yet but it would be in less than an hour. This time it was Neal's turn to carry Emma. Charming carried Snow who had fallen asleep in the front seat.

Charming laid Snow on the bed, taking off her shoes as carefully as he could before tucking her covers in. He placed a kiss on her forehead before heading into the kitchen.

Emma and Neal had spent their nights sleeping on the couch since they had given Henry his own room. But since Henry was at Regina's, Emma would sleep in his bed tonight. Neal figured she deserved it after what she'd been through. She'd be more comfortable in a bed.

After tucking her into his bed, he removed the beanie off his head and placed it on hers, making sure it covered the stitching that went across her forehead. If Henry came home tomorrow, Neal did _not_ want him to see it. Emma was his hero. She was indestructable to him. Neal couldn't let him see her in this condition.

"Goodnight, Emma," He said, lightly kissing her on the nose.

"I love you," She replied. Her voice was groggy and her eyes stayed close.

He smiled to himself and left her room, leaving the door cracked behind him.

xxx

A beer left Charming's hand a slid towards Neal.

"Thanks, man," Neal said, popping the top off of it.

He tried to not to stare at Charming but he was amazed at how much Emma was like him. That night in Scotland when she had slid him that beer across the table. It was hard to remember it now, but she had done it the exact same way that Charming just had.

"Dude, it's 4:30 in the morning. Why are we awake?" Charming asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm worried," Neal said.

He meant it.

"Me too," Charming agreed, sipping his beer.

"I'm gonna have to go in there in a few hours and wake her up. I just hope she remembers," Neal said, his tone striking Charming in the strangest way.

"Remembers what?"

"Everything, anything at all."

"It sounded like you meant something specific," Charming said, shrugging his shoulders.

_He did._

"Well, I really need to go to sleep now," Charming said, scooting back his chair.

He put the rest of his beer in the fridge and headed to his room. Before he got there he turned around to say one more thing.

"Thank you, truly," He started leaning on the doorframe. "Even though you messed up and I'm still angry about that, thank you for doing your best to make things right. I'll let this time slide. Forgive and forget, it's the least I can do. You're not a bad man, Neal Cassidy."

He entered his room and closed the door behind him, leaving Neal in the kitchen by himself.

Neal sighed in relief, being satisfied that both Snow and Charming had approved of his actions. He wanted to be with Emma, Henry, and The Charming's. He wanted this to be the big happy family he never had.

He wanted to be home.

xxx

"Sit up," Neal instructed Emma, setting up her pillows behind her back.

"What is it? Is it Henry?" Emma asked, slowly looking around the room.

"No, no it's not that. I just want to ask you a few questions," Neal reassured her.

_Yes. _She remembered Henry. She remembered _their son._

"What's your name?" Neal asked, locking his eyes on her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and reached her hand up to rub her forehead, a thing she did when she was stressed.

"Hey, don't do that. Just talk to me. Keep your eyes on me," Neal whispered, lowering her arm down before she could touch her injury.

He grabbed her hands in his, just in case she thought it was a good idea to try again.

"Swan," She whispered, opening her eyes.

"Your whole name," He said, interlocking his fingers with hers.

"Emma Swan," She confirmed, smiling a little.

"Good. Now do you know who I am?" Neal asked. He was nervous about this one.

"I'm in love with you," Emma said.

Neal's heart jumped. She hadn't said that in so many years. Now he just hoped she'd remember saying it.

"Neal Cassidy," Emma added.

"Yes," Neal confirmed, smiling.

"Where do you live?" He asked.

"Storybrooke, the place with all the fairytale things."

Neal felt like laughing.

"Who are your parents?" He asked, going past the questions Whale had instructed him to ask.

"Well my mom.. I used to call my mom Mary Margaret. Then I used to call my dad David. But now they're Snow White and Prince Charming," She informed him.

He saw the child verison of Emma in this instant. Secretly, he could tell how happy she was that her parents ended being Snow White and Prince Charming and not some random couple that didn't actually care about her. She was so lucky to have them, and she knew it.

"You can lay down now," Neal told her, adjusting her pillows. "Go to sleep, Princess."

He kissed her on the nose before going to the windows where he closed the blinds as tight as he could. The sunlight was starting to shine through, and he didn't want it to wake her.

When he was finished, he got into bed with her and put his arm around her. She snuggled into his side, finally falling asleep.

He only had to wake her up three more times before he could let her rest for good.

The day was just beginning, and it was going to be a longer than he had expected. 


	16. Three's Company, Too

It had been a week since Emma's accident.

Charming was running things down at the police station for now and had offered Red a part time position while Emma was recovering. She took it gladly, remembering how good Emma had told her she was last time she'd helped out. The discounted grilled cheese she got Charming from Granny's weren't too shabby, either.

Snow had gone back to being Henry's teacher. She loved having him in her class. Not that she didn't love it before, just now it was different. In a good way. She was getting to know him as Prince Henry, her grandson. Every day she noticed new things he had inherited from each member of his family. The clever riddles he came up with were definitely from Rumple. His messy hair and brown eyes were from Neal. His complexion was from Emma. His heroic attitude from Charming. His smile from her. Every day she was falling more in love with him.

Henry had freaked out for sure when he'd seen Emma's injury. He did, in fact, compare it to Frankenstein like Neal had. The difference was, Neal had thought it in his head while the kid had the nerve to say it out loud. Emma wasn't too amused, to say the least. He had also gotten help from his grandmother at school to make Emma some "get well" crafts. He brought something new home for her each day.

Neal had stayed with Emma during the day while everyone was out at work and school. He made her food, fluffed her pillows, and when she was bored of the tv he would sit and have long talks with her. They would also amuse each other with long games of I Spy and Truth or Dare. Neal wouldn't let her do the dares, though. Not yet.

Emma adored all the crafts Henry had been making her for, deciding it had made up for lost time. She was angry at Neal not letting her participate in the "dare" part of Truth or Dare, suggesting that technically it wasn't even a real game anymore. She _did _end up remembering the night she ended up in the hospital but she was seeing how long Neal could go before-

"Do you remember what happened that night?" Neal asked, sitting on the couch next to Emma.

_Bingo. _

"Of course I do," She said.

There was that sympathetic smile she'd inherited from Snow.

"Thank God," Neal said, relief washing over his face.

"I don't have amnesia," Emma laughed. "I just took a small tumble."

"Your face was practically peeling off, Emma. I didn't know how much you'd remember."

"Ew, don't remind me," She said, wincing at the mental image of her open wound.

"I'm glad you remember," He said, giving her that sexy smile of his.

"Me too," She said.

She smirked at him, and in the same instant they both leaned in for a kiss. She tugged at the hair on the back of his head near his neck, knowing it turned him on.

A low growl escaped him and now his hands were messaging her breasts.

She stradled him on the couch, slowly grinding on him as their tongues fought for dominance. She slid her hands under his shirt, rubbing his chest.

He began to thrust up every time she grinded in his towards him. The buldge in his sweats was growing with every movement of her body. He was ready to take her right here and now.

"We need to stop," Neal said, stopping the movement of his hands.

"Why?" She whispered in his ear.

_He didn't want her to stop._

"Henry's going to be home from school any minute. We can't scar him for life, not yet," Neal said, laughing.

She took a second to think.

"Fine," She said, and snuggled up to her original space in the couch.

She had her pouty face on, something that Neal found hard to handle. He was doing this for her, to save her the embarassment. Not to mention she looked exhausted and he didn't want her to wear herself down.

"How did you know I was pregnant?" She asked him, not turning to look at him.

"I know you. I know the way you look when you're happy.. Truly happy. I know the way you look when you're holding in tears. When you're confused, your eyebrows do that thing. Your face turns red when you're holding in anger and your eyes sparkle when you're holding in laughter."

She looked at him and her eyebrows did that thing he had just mentioned.

"That night when I went to get cash for the watches, I saw something different in your face when we talked about Tallahassee. You weren't just happy, you were glowing. Back then I didn't know what that meant. I thought you just couldn't wait for your dreams to come true. But the moment I learned I had a son it took me back to that moment."

She wiped away the single tear that slid down her cheeck.

"I can't take it back now, but I'm sorry. Emma, I'm so sorry."

He was playing with the loose string on the blanket they shared like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. He kept scrunching up his nose like he was going to sneeze but he didn't. He just sat there, staring at the little string between his fingers.

When he looked up at her his eyes were red. She could tell he was trying so hard not to cry.

"Neal, I-" Emma began, placing a hand on his leg.

That's when she was interrupted by Regina and Henry toppling through the front door. They stood there staring at Emma and Neal like they'd just seen ghosts.

Emma checked to make sure she was wearing Neal's beanie, which she was, thank God.

"You're _what?"_ Regina and Henry said in unison.

It was funny to Emma, how much Henry had picked up from Regina. The way he said certain words and gave certain looks matched hers identically.

"Hey, Regina. Come on in," Emma said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and looked over to Neal, almost as if giving him the signal to take care of it.

"Listen, I-" Neal Started. He looked up to the sky like he was asking God for the right words to say. He took a deep breath before asking them to come in.

Regina looked around skeptically before closing the door and taking a seat next to Henry at the kitchen table.

Neal began to fill a mug with fresh coffee when he felt a pair of eyes on the back of his head. He peaked behind him and of course, it was Emma.

He sent a wink her way, and she felt like she could start breathing again. She knew he had a game plan in mind, but she wasn't at ease. Not yet. Not while Regina sat in her kitchen. Emma wouldn't take her eyes off of her for a second. Deep down she realized that Regina would never hurt Henry, but now that she had another one on the way her protective instinct was going into overdrive.

Considering how she was raised and how she was treated as a kid, she never wanted her kids to go through that. Any of it. Unfortunatley, Regina had done some pretty messed up things to Henry but that was out of her control. She was sure Regina had wanted to come over to Emma's apartment and scold her for lying to Henry, but she couldn't say she never did the same.

Emma and Regina, they knew their boundaries. They could only push each other so far until one of them would break. And when they broke, it would be far from pretty.

Neal popped open a can of soda for Henry. Regina would never allow him to have caffine but Neal just loved the disgusted look on her face as Henry took a gulp straight from the can.

He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his red plaid button-up shirt he wore, courtesy of Regina.

"Henry," She said, scolding him.

The glare she threw his way didn't phase him as he grinned at Neal. Operation Swanfire was back in action and wahtever his parents had up their sleeves, Henry was so in.

Neal joined them at the table, setting a mug of coffee in front of Regina, and then started drinking his own. His eyes peeked over the brim of his mug, sizing her up. Her bark was as bad as her bite, if not worse, if that was even possible. He'd have to be careful with how much sass he threw her way.

"First of all, let me just remind you that _this,"_ Neal said, pointing to Emma and then to himself repeatedly, "is none of your business."

Emma's eyebrows shot up and she looked between the three people at the table. Henry was sharing her expression. A sly smile formed on Regina's face as she slowly sipped her coffee.

"Why don't you join us, Miss Swan?" She asked.

Her smile was so fake, and Emma knew it.

"Emma you don't have-"

"It's fine, Neal," Emma said, slowly lifting herself off the couch. Her head throbbed every time she walked, but she wouldn't let Regina feel more powerful than her. She winced as she made her way to the table, grabbing her head once she sat down.

Regina gave Emma a suspicious look, turning away once she noticed.

Henry sat in silence. He was very observant, and not one of his three parents doubted he was soaking in every ounce of their conversation.

"You don't look too good, dear," Regina said, scanning Emma up and down. "And why are you wearing that _awful _hat?"

"Play nice," Emma warned her.

"Believe it or not, Regina, what we tell you could benefit you if you're civl with us," Neal told her.

"How?" She challenged them.

"Henry," They both said.

They didn't really answer her question, but knowing Henry was involved surely motivated her enough to get along with them. She nodded, a silent agreement that she would stop with the snarky remarks.

"We've got a cygnet on the way," Neal said.

"A what?" Henry and Regina said, once again in unison.

Emma cocked her head to the side, staring at Neal like he had three heads.

"A baby Swan."

Regina's face went from confused to even more confused.

Henry was in pure shock, a grin spreading across his face.

"I'm just gonna go to my room real quick," He said, running off up the stairs.

They waited for him to close the door before saying anything else, but instead of the silence they expected they heard something else.

"Yes! I _knew _it!" They heard him yell, a laugh escpaing him. Emma imagined him jumping around his room, which he probably was, and it made her smile.

He _knew _something had happened that night; The night Emma wouldn't fully tell him about.

"You _what?_" Regina whispered, clenching her mug tighter than before.

"I'm pregnant, Regina. I didn't know I'd have to spell it out for you," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I know. I'm just- I didn't know you two were," Her eyes shifted from Neal to Emma, back and forth before she could figure out what to say next.

"I love her," Neal said, sliding his hand under the table and resting it on Emma's thigh.

"So why did you tell me this?" She asked.

"This means you'll probably get more time with Henry," Emma said, shrugging.

"It's about time," She said, crossing her arms.

"Come on," Neal whined.

"Sorry. Just, why?" She asked. Her eyes sparkled with hope, something you didn't see much with Regina. She loved Henry, both Emma and Neal could tell that much.

"Hopefully my parents will stop fighting for time with Henry so much and it'll leave some more room for you," Emma suggested.

"I have his room set up and everything. He could spend some nights. About a week ago when he spent the night, we had the best time. We made a pizza from scratch together. It's something neither of us had ever done before, and it was a lot of fun. We ended up getting more flour on ourselves than the pizza dough, but it was well worth it," She said, a genuine smile forming on her face.

"That's great," Emma said, appreciating the realness Regina was showing them.

Neal had to admit to himself that he was a little astonished at what she had just said. In the time he had known her he had never heard her say something so positive.

"Do you want to have him tonight?" Emma blurted out, not seeking Neal's approval.

"Yes, I'd love to. But why?" Regina asked, suspiciously.

"I took a bit of a nasty spill," Emma told her, inching her beanie up to reveal the stitches.

Regina winced, something Emma had never seen her do. Emma would place a bet that she hadn't even winced when she was squeezing Graham's heart... That she hadn't showed any remorse at all when she had killed him. Yes, she knew about that. But why was she showing such concern now?

She was becoming a better person.

Emma had to give her credit for trying as hard as she could, for Henry, and pulling it off. In her eyes, Regina had definitely earned her spot in Henry's life.

"What in the hell happened?" Regina asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.

"She fell," Neal said, letting out a chuckle.

"Hmm," Regina said, not looking away from it.

"Emma, I can't believe it!" Henry said, running down the stairs. He made sure to call his mothers by their first names when they were around each other.

"I know kid, me either," Emma said. Hey, she was being honest.

"I'm going to read her the book. She's going to grow up learning about it all. The story of how The Savior came to be," Henry said proudly, flipping through the pages of his book.

Regina didn't seem too amused but smiled anyways.

"Henry," She started, scooting out her chair. "How would you like spending the night with me?"

He looked to his parents, seeking the approval he needed to feel right about it.

They both gave him a nod.

"Yeah, that'd be fun," He said, grabbing his jacket.

"See ya soon, kid," Neal said, giving Henry a big bear hug.

Emma wrapped his scarf around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss on the nose.

"Be nice for her," Emma whispered into his ear. "She's really trying. For you."

Regina heard it and tried to blink away the tears that filled her eyes.

They were on their way out, Henry with his book in hand when Regina turned around and carefully mouthed the words "Thank you."

Emma decided then and there that Henry having three parents wasn't so bad, afterall. 


	17. Hook, Line, and Sinker

Hook, Line, and Sinker

Emma heard a knock on the door and decided to check her appearance before answering it. The stitches on her forehead were slowly dissolving but she decided to pull Neal's beanie over her head anyways. It didn't quite match the t-shirt of his that she had on, but they both belonged to him and that was perfect for her.

When the person knocked again, she glanced over at the door, wondering who could be stopping by in the middle of the day. Charming and Snow were at work, Henry was at school, and Neal had ran to the store not even five minutes before to get her the donuts she was craving.

She opened the door with her fingers crossed behind her back, in silent prayer that it wasn't Regina.

"Why hello there, lass," Hook greeted her, raising an eyebrow at her attire.

Emma was shocked to say the least, recalling the last time she had seen him was when they'd gotten home from Neverland.

"Hook, what- Why are you here?" She asked, suspicious of his sudden desire to drop in.

"No hello? Well aren't we just jumping to the chase rather quickly," He smirked, leaning on the door frame with his good hand.

"What the hell is behind your back?"

"It's a surprise for you, m' lady," He told her, his smirk transforming into a full on grin.

He could almost feel the thud her heart made when it dropped to the floor. She was remembering. She had been abandoned one too many times, and those were the only surprises that ever came her way in life.

"I hate surprises."

"Invite me in, will you?" He asked, staring directly into her eyes.

She had done it. She had let her guard down around him again without meaning to. Now he was going to try and get those haunting thoughts out of her head, and he was good at it.

She gestured for him to come in and closed the door behind him.

"What do you say about that surprise now?" He changed the subject and his voice was light and playful again, but his face didn't match.

She nodded.

"Close your eyes, love."

She gave him a challenging look that questioned why she should trust him.

"Have I ever failed you?" He asked, breaking out the puppy dog eyes.

"I'm going to go with yes on this one."

"Trust me." His smile was sad, almost desperate.

Emma surrendered and decided to close her eyes. She sighed, now realizing how horrible she felt about his whole visit. She was closing her eyes for _Hook._ He could hit her over the head again or kill her.. But he wouldn't. He could kiss her, and that was the worst-

"Open," She heard him whisper.

When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see a basket that held chocolates, flowers, and a teddy bear hanging from his hook.

"Hook.. You really shouldn't have," She said. "I like the gesture. I like the gifts, I really do. It's just- I can't take these from you."

The grin he had been sporting just seconds early was gone, washed away by Emma's words.

"Please, take them," He told her, reaching his hook out further.

"I'm with Neal now. I can't be accepting presents from _you," _She said, looking from the basket back to him.

He walked past her, setting it down on the kitchen table anyways.

"When did all of this happen?" He asked, glancing down at her stomach.

"Four months ago," She said, subconsiously resting her hand on her stomach.

"I mean, things with your lad."

"When we got back from Neverland."

She didn't seem happy. Not to him, at least.

"You still look charming."

The compliment made her heart jump. Only Hook was witty enough to us a word like _that._

"Liar," She complained.

Only one of his eyebrows shot up in response.

"Have I ever lied to you?" He asked.

"No." She rolled her eyes, hating that he made a legit point.

He was sure that compliment would do the trick in making her look happy, but no.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Forgive him," Hook said, looking down at the floor.

Because that's what her and Neal did. No matter what happened they promised to always look out for each other, and that's what they'd been doing.

"I would ask which time you're referring to but that kind of proves your point," She said.

"You see? Why do you even put up with it?" He asked.

"Hook, please don't-"

"Don't make you question the decision you made? Why not?"

'I'm not-"

"You _do_ question it. All the time," He told her, walking closer to her.

"I do not."

"You do."

"No."

"You're scared of being left alone."

The more they went back and forth, the closer he got to her face.

"Seriously?"

"Love, we all know you have doubts," He told her. She was close enough to kiss.

"Why are you doing this?" She was raising her voice at him now, backing away from him.

He wrapped his hook around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. He tucked the hair that fell in front of her eyes behind her ear.

"I thought I had a chance with you," He blurted out.

"Hook, come _on_," Emma whined. "You can't just come in here and drop a bomb like that. You _can't_."

He looked down at his shoes, but Emma couldn't take her eyes off of him. The way his face had crumbled was like he already knew what she was going to say.

He felt stupid for even coming her at all.. With a present, nonetheless.

"Hook, we can't do this," She said, eyes fluttering.

"Do what?"

"_This. _The playful banter and flirtatious jokes were okay before. But now, I have something different. I _need _something different."

She was so flustered by this whole encounter that she didn't realize how close he really was to her. She could see her reflection in his eyes. She found herself making eye contact for too long, and now it was her turn to stare down at her shoes.

He blinked away the emotions that were making their way to his eyes to be visable to Emma.

"Well," He started, opening the foor to leave. "I know you don't want the gifts, but keep them. I have no one else to give them to, anyways."

"Hook, I-"

But before she finished her sentence, the door had closed and he was gone.

She didn't notice the tears in her eyes until Neal barged through the door with grocery bags on his arms.

"Passed an angry pirate on the stairs," He chuckled. "What happened th-"

He stared at the basket on the kitchen table, then to Emma.

"What.. What's that?"

She watched him set the bags on the counter before trying to explain.

"Neal-"

"No, he brought you those? Are you serious?" Neal asked with tension in his voice.

"Yeah, but-"

"I should just go after him while I have to chance," Neal said, hurrying towards the door.

"No! Please, don't," Emma begged, grabbing his arm.

"Why don't you want me to?"

"Just.. Leave him alone. He was trying to be nice, and I was was already a jerk to him so-"

"You don't..." Neal started, cocking his head to the side.

"No! _No,_" She reassured him.

"Are you sure you're okay? Because I can go talk to him. Just talk to him." Neal argued.

"It's fine. I'm fine," She suggested, blinking to make sure the moisture had left her eyes.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, how about you help me eat those donuts?" She smiled, nudging him before heading over to the table.

"After we remove these," He said, sticking the basket in the corner of the room.

She laughed, but she knew deep down that she didn't mean it. Hook had turned out to be a decent guy, something she had discovered in Neverland. But she had Neal now, something she had always wanted. _Always._ And she wasn't going to let him go. Not now, not ever. If she had to hurt feelings to get her happy ending, she was going to do it, no matter how horrible it made her feel. 


	18. Magic

Laying eyes on Neal's smile, it was beyond the bounds of possibilty that Emma could hold back her own. He was flawlessly happy being with her, and that was something she had never experienced with any other man.

Every now and then Neal would look up at her to blow a kiss or wink her way. It was something he did to restore her confidence; to remind her that he would never abandon her again.

Two little boys occupied the swings; one of Neal's hands on each of their backs.

Henry was on the left. His hair had grown out quite a bit, matching the length of Neal's. Emma's heart melted at the sight of their messy hair, and she knew Henry thought it was strange that unlike Regina, Emma would never ask him to fix it.

He was becoming a teenager sooner than she had anticipated. It all started with how upset he had been when Paige grew taller than him. Then it was the way he had begun talking about Paige; more than usual. He would run Emma and Neal through every little conversation they had, whether it had any meaning or not. And as of lately, Henry's voiced had gotten a little deeper, something Henry himself hadn't noticed, but Emma and Neal certainly had.

But he still liked the swings, he still liked hanging out with his parents, and he still enjoyed having a little brother.

Nolan sat on the other swing, and he was the happiest two year old Emma had ever seen. Blonde strands of hair flew in front of his face as Neal pushed his swing. His chesnut eyes matched his brother's and his father's, and Emma adored it. His smile was definitely hers, and the way he furrowed his eyebrows when he was unhappy was something he had inherited from her, too.

Seeing her three boys together was a sight for sore eyes.

With his arm draped around Henry's shoulders, and Nolan on his hip, Neal headed over to the bench where Emma was seated.

She played with the ring positioned on her forth finger from the left as she watched them approach her. This was something she wanted _forever._

"Hey, boys. How were the swings? They looked pretty fun from over here," Emma smiled.

"Oh, you know it, babe," Neal responded, kissing her on the forehead.

"Hey Noley," She cooed, cupping Nolan's face in her hands. She took the little boy, positioning him on her hip.

A giggle escaped him, and although she didn't think so, Neal thought it was as contagious as hers.

"Henry, it's your pick for lunch. And now that the barrier is broken, you can choose anything you want," Emma told him, ruffling his hair.

"I love Cinnabon, but you know I'll always pick Granny's," He smiled, leading them away from the beach and straight to Main Street.

"Cinnabon isn't even lunch food," Neal laughed.

Henry and Neal walked ahead, engaging in conversation that Emma could barely hear. It was something about Paige, she knew.

She followed not too far behind, slowly spinning the ring on her finger, her throughts trailing off.

She was snapped back to realilty when Nolan's little hand grabbed her finger, spinning the ring himself. She watched his face, noticing an expression she'd never seen before. It was almost like he was hypnotized.

Suddenly, he looked up to her with big brown eyes, grinning.

"What is it?" Emma asked, stopping in her tracks.

"You, me, Daddy, and brother.." He paused, taking a deep breath. "We be happy forever and ever."

Emma smiled, knowing it wasn't just an innocent statement he was making.

"How do you know that?" She asked, stroking his head.

"Because I saw it," He replied.

He saw it? _He saw it._

Emma's eyes grew wide when she realized what Nolan meant.

Magic. Her baby had used _magic. _She had never seen Henry use it, or Neal. Only she had done it, and now Nolan had done it, too.

All magic comes with a price, something Emma had memorized by heart. And for a moment she found herself panic striken. But knowing their family, they would train this kid to use his magic for good. With the help of her parents, Neal, and Henry, she knew this kid would learn to use his powers right.

She kissed Nolan on the forhead, squeezing him a little bit tighter.

Emma was a thousand percent certain that she would grow old with Neal. She was in love with him, and that was as simple as that. She was going to give him everything that she had, and nothing less.

He was hers forever, and she was his always.


End file.
